Change of fortune

It is a rare thing to get what you want. There are too many others vying for the prize. The question is: can you get something which will work?

So few know an opportunity when they see one. The most precious gems are concealed in ordinary rock. For so long, they wait to be discovered.

Yet, it is the craftsman who reveals their beauty. What is had is not as important as what is done with it. To have innovation, you must envision.

Can you bend circumstances to your purposes? If left to itself, everything begins to unravel. The slightest chance can change one's fortune.

Instead of worrying about the cards, just play the hand. The game cannot be won by giving up. For those who overcome, adaptation is a necessity.

If you have nothing to work with, keep looking. There is more than one pathway to success. But sometimes, the best one is also the hardest.

Errors and failings

What has happened before can happen again. History is full of those who thought they were above it. In the end, they ended up being plowed under.

Time goes by and the memory of man starts to fade. That which was proven foul becomes fair again. People are deceived by a fresh coat of paint.

To truly learn from our mistakes, we must recognize them as such. Otherwise, we will keep making them. And our end will be the same old story.

We must get past what we want to see what is. However, this is merely the starting point. The goal is before us, but to get there we must overcome.

Even in winning, most tend to lose. They cannot maintain the advancements they have made. What good is it to press forward only to slide back?

Errors unchecked become failings. Learn from those who have gone on before. You can find out what should be done and what definitely should not.

Falling together

Sometimes, it feels like your whole world is collapsing. That which can go wrong has done so. But is everything falling apart or coming together?

Often, we focus on the bad and miss all the good. Life has never been easy, and that is not going to change. But it is within us to turn things around.

After all we have been through, quitting is not an option. It should only ever be considered to be dismissed. And then, it should be forgotten.

The pain we experience is only temporary. It is the body's way of telling us how much danger we are in. But it pales next to that of a shattered spirit.

There are no obstacles that cannot be surmounted. And then, mount them on a wall as a reminder. They cannot prevent one who will not be prevented.

One gets hurt as they stumble through this life. But bumps and bruises do not last. As long as we are holding it together, we can never really fall apart.

The Winnowing Way

A poem about loss and gain.

The Winnowing Way

As the wind blows,

each secret shows.

What was hidden

is made manifest.

What did we sow?

What did we grow?

Have we been cursed,

or are we blessed?

Touched by the breeze,

blown through the trees.

Not what we sought,

we have received.

Shells come away,

dropped to decay.

Pests tossed as well,

grant us reprieve.

How have we erred,

lost in the air?

Were these pieces

not parts of us?

Cruelly they fall,

tumbling all,

onto the ground

without a fuss.

What is revealed,

fit for a meal,

it is the grain

that was contained.

Were it not tossed,

this would be lost.

For every gain,

there is a loss.

What do we mourn?

Why be forlorn?

It was the husk

hiding the corn.

Naught did we waste,

now we can taste.

What was concealed,

now we embrace.

These are the things,

each season brings.

Showers will fall,

upon us all.

What will be grown,

shall be made known.

For questions asked,

we will be shown.

As the wind blows,

each secret shows.

Soft it arrives,

swiftly it goes.

What will we sow?

What will we grow?

All of our deeds

one day will show.

Beyond the grasp

There are occasions to look back. You evaluate what was done, and what can be done better. Nothing will trip one up like than their own missteps.

Once the path is clear, it is necessary to move forward. While you are progressing is not the time for a second guess. It is too easy to lose momentum.

Focus on your objective, and advance steadily towards it. If you stumble, just keep going. Nothing can stop someone who refuses to be kept down.

When your course has been set, do not deviate from it. Often, our own doubts and misgivings obstruct us. There will always be a reason to halt.

That is when you should break into a run. If others are trying to prevent you, prevent them. No matter how far they reach, stay well beyond their grasp.

This is a world that likes to take. And it does not deal kindly with what it grabs. Give them the fight of their lives, and all they will take is a beating.

Life goes by

It is the thing which waits for no man. We all burn within these flames. And since it eventually runs out, you will never have enough: time.

We are both fascinated and intimidated, knowing that one day will come. And then, everything stops. Existence takes on a whole new meaning.

How we spend what we have determines everything. Will these precious hours be squandered? Or will we live each moment to the fullest?

The time which is lost you cannot get back. However, if it is invested wonderful things can be accomplished. Do not let them pass you by.

Cherish each breath, as if it might be your last. Our lives go by so swiftly, and yet so surely. The end of one is like the snuffing out of a candle. 

That we are still here, means there is work to do. There is a great distance left to traverse. After all, the journey of our lives has only just begun.