The Secret (My Belief)

The answer lies in happiness. It lies in being content.

Simplicity. Joy and wonder.

There is nothing complicated about it.

We need not be smart.

We need not be frugal.

We need not be anything that tells us we have a step above anyone else.

We just are. And we aren't.

Happiness is the purpose. A word leaving much to be interpreted.

Ecstacy? Laughter? Escape from pain? What does happiness mean?

Is it the absence of any negative feeling?

Or perhaps the realization that feelings are just that. A thing.

Does knowing this truth bring us happiness?

Is this knowing what it means to be Enlightened?

I think yes.

I think asking ourselves about the fears we cling to. The fears that we allow.

The feelings we allow to take control so willingly and causes us pain.

Asking ourselves requires taking one step out of the circle.

Much like an outsider's view of a family fight.

An outsider is objective, separate, neutral, and has no conflicts of interest.

That is our secret.

We can become the objective outsider to our own fears, thoughts, and emotions.

And with this statement swells feelings of freedom the likes of which we have never felt.

And with this realization, the smile of pure happiness springs forth. And the body smiles.

This is my belief.

My God created me, the soul that inhabits this body and has this mind and these thoughts.

These thoughts, feelings, and choices are not part of my soul, but part of this world, as my ego.

And I will rise above them and passed them during birth and death.

And the freedom that is present is that I have the choice to live this worldly life in any way I choose, free from the pain of fear.

I will do my best to raise my son with a pure and peaceful heart.

Teaching him the lessons of the soul. Reminding him of the shine that glows within him regardless of his choices.

And I feel earthly joy when I watch him live.

I need not separate myself from my feelings.

For they are no more a bad thing than an infant crying for milk or an addict craving his drug.

These things just are. A beautiful existence.

And the soul at peace will see them as they are. Experiences to be loved, shown compassion,

And nurtured toward Enlightenment.

Is this not the teaching of our God? Is this not the teaching of Jesus? To love?

I believe so.

I do not agree that we inherently evil, sinful, or flawed.

"We" is so much bigger than our current view of "we". And the soul is never flawed, sinful, or evil.

We are of God.

Our earthly forms (body and ego) are challenged, for in this world we must have hope for the body to survive. And to have hope means to have fear. To have fear means to have pain.

We cannot escape it, but we can step outside of the circle and see it for what it is. A necessary part of this life.

But nothing, absolutely nothing can dampen the light of the soul.

And holding to this realization will provide the secret to happiness on Earth.

This Is Not New

The smell, mildew, dusk, decades and decades of papers and memories.

The knowledge of the human mind has a smell.

Treasure.

Treasure of old, in sunken ships at sea. This treasure is rich in value and history.

To the new eyes it appears new.

To the new reader a new book appears a revelation.

True treasure is never new. It is passed down through the ages.

To us.

They tell us there is a new author. A new cover. A new concept.

Too much money is spent on old ideas in new boxes.

Tears are cried when suffering occurs because new doctors cannot fix.

Treasures are old.

Truth is old.

Trust yourself and know that neither the book nor the doctor have the answers.

The answers are within for they are part of us.

The truth is, nothing new is brought forth. No new answers. Only new voices.

Trust the voices but above all, trust the voice within.

The past answers will stand true.

Tears will fade. For you hold the treasure within you. And you'll smile.

Enlightenment of the Soul

Borne into darkness

the bleakness is the norm.

A child, a nation, convinced that the dim light of the cave

is the bright light of life.

And they grow, living, laughing, crying.

Each convinced that the darkness is the true light.

Passing this down, generation to generation.

Until...

Until one day a brave soul steps out. He wanders far.

Farther than anyone one dared.

Farther than his mind could fathom.

And a new image invaded his mind.

What is the word for this? What is the meaning?

To apply current beliefs to new sights, sounds, frightening strangeness.

He looks and after a moment he says

LIGHT!

And with racing heart and breathless voice he soon he shares of this new found enlightenment.

The sunshine, shining brightly all these years.

So many decades, generations, millenniums. It shines.

Even when this clan knew not of its existence, it shone.

And their world was expanded, presented, exploded.

For a simple truth had been realized, or perhaps, remembered.

That deep down, whether remembered or forgotten,

The light shines, never stopping when it is forgotten. Never fading when hidden by rock

or by time.

It shines upon them, waiting patiently all these years for their faces to emerge,

to embrace.

And in a warm peace, they remember, and embrace the glow.

The Storm

A swirly gray, the storm in my head.
I know I’m not afraid in the storm.

Soon it will clear.

Soon the sun will be bright and my feet will be light.
I will be better.

The cool water that passes my feet is never the same.
I will never be the same again.

I was borne of the storm.
A child of chaos.
Now I step out, grown.

With each clearing, with each ray of light,I stand wiser and stronger.
My eyes see anew. My mind, clearer.

I am not the same water.

Some day the gray will come again.
And I know, I will not be afraid.

Peace And Tranquility

Her Plate

Hot and flakey

crispy and dry

The bread crumbles in little shards as she presses the layers together.

A clean plate becomes a brown dust-filled landscape

and she picks it up

revealing the oval shape of her sandwich.

In a mouth-watering bite she delights in the salty beefy flavor

cool meat against her tongue

and hot toasted bread.

The peppers of the cheese take a bite out of her mouth

as the melted cheese takes over her tastebuds.

And the coolness of the spinach dip dressing

rescues them all

As it moistens the dry toast

cools the burning peppers

smooths out the salty meat.

And she chews

savor the flavor,

As if on a journey to a new land

her mind takes pictures with her senses

The smell of the wheat

the shine of the cheese

the sharpness of the peppers.

And in moments

her journey to an adventurous place is satisfied.

And her plate is returned to the counter.

With only a white oval remaining

in a brown sea of delicious dust.

The Root

You cannot do it.

You failed.

I am ashamed of you.

What? Do you think that's good enough?

What do you want?

Can't you see I'm busy?

I don't have time for this.

Why can't you be like everyone else?

And with these words, a child hides.

He hides in his books.

He hides in his blankets.

He hides his tears behind smiles.

And it starts.

The roots have started to grow.

Secrecy. Shame. A constant outward search for inner peace.

And it starts.

A family who was to protect

has created a blackness,

a darkness.

And the roots of his pain take hold over his soul.

Through his smile he cries.

And begins his wandering journey on the path they've created.

The restless, hurt, wandering, addicted soul.