Hair

Messy, wild, unpredictable hair
Gorgeous and inspiring,
Not something you can aspire to
Or try to achieve,
But something that happens on its own.

You can’t wake up and say
‘this is how it will look today’
It has to decide itself.
Let’s go play with the wind, it says
Let the rain refresh me
Let the sun dry me out
Let me frizz up and out
Let me be myself

Why do you try to tame me,
Keep me out of your way,
Your straighteners and curlers only burn me,
Try to make me conform to your ways.
Just let me be what I already am,
I am beautiful in every way
Maybe I’m not like everyone else,
But that’s what is special,
That’s who I am.

The wind picks me up and tries to whisk me away,
You sigh and look annoyed
Pushing me back behind your trusty ear
You want me to do what I am told

But this is my playground,
This is where I roam,
So let me explore and be free,
I am only hair, you do realize,
And not everyone needs to like me.

Searching Winds

I think you’re beautiful,
Floating free,
Caring about everyone and everything
But not caring about the mundane and everyday
Your long, free flowing hair
Tidy enough but never tame
Worn out necklace
That absorbs your oils and becomes part of you.

You’re realistic, responsible,
But never limit your imagination,
Never limit yourself to what is commonly believed
To be responsibility or direction
Taking whichever path the delightful wind blows towards you
Jumping on each chance, these little chances,
Everyday that come your way.

The wind loves you,
You’re one of the few,
That say ‘sure, I’ll take a ride’
Let’s go right now.
This breeze doesn’t want to be disappointed,
But it always understands
When ‘not today, maybe tomorrow’
Is the common place to stand.

When tomorrow rolls around,
Things are still the same.
If we don’t leave them now,
We never will,
No one ever will.
The wind might give up,
Might go someplace else.

So be unrealistic,
Unreliable,
Let pleasure take you hostage,
Let chance stare you down in the eye and scream
“I dare you, I dare you to just do it”
Don’t try to prove anything to anyone,
Just do it anyway.
Because it’s what you want,
What you know is right,
The direction you want to head in.
It doesn’t have to be practical,
Or even achievable
You can be irrational
and still keep your head firmly in place.
Dive into the deep end,
It’s the only place to start
Realize your fears,
And don’t try to combat them
Unless it’s what you actually want.
Just don’t give into them,
They’ll weave their way around you and slowly choke you
Until they have you firmly under their grasp,
In their control.

No one should be controlled,
By anything or anyone
This brain is limited inside this body,
Ever expanding, always travelling
Soaring over skies of blue
And caverns of darkness,
Always looking for the light,
Trying to catch the next wave,
Jump into the breeze,
Ignite the next flame.

I stand on the edge of this mountain top,
Waiting silently and patiently
Reaching out my hands into the clear bright air,
Feeling if it is quite right,
And when an appealing breeze rolls by,
I jump off the edge and let it take me away
My shoes are waiting at the edge,
But I don’t care if I ever return to them
Let’s see where this takes me first.

Memories anew

Looking back through this old file,
I haven’t reflected for awhile.
I can’t believe how many beautiful places I’ve seen
They all are so perfect,
So exquisite, I could never have thought them up to be quite so.

But I was there, in the presence of something so great,
Only God could have dreamed it up.
The greatest artist that ever was,
The greatest artist that will ever be.
All of humankind can only strive to create something as beautiful,
Meaningful, free of judgement or harm,
And there is no need to compete.

We can only imitate it,
Or dream up things that are different and strange,
But will never be true.
Let’s not take a chainsaw to this landscape
Whose artist carefully selected a palette of colours
For the rest of time to see.

They are all so different,
Yet the same in their innocent perfection
Innocent really being a false front,
They are more powerful then we could imagine
But so vulnerable at the same time.
I feel blessed to have been in their presence,
Not that I’m not part of them,
Because I am.

Despite all else that seems like its all that matters right now,
I know these places still exist,
I’ll see them again,
And I’ll see others like them.
Things I haven’t experienced yet,
And I can’t even dream what they’ll be like
Until I am there.
If I do dream, and I will,
I won’t be right, I never am.
But what I discover will always be new.

No Matter

It doesn’t matter who you are
No matter what you do
Or where you are
If you’re living life with passion
You’re doing something right

If you’re savouring every moment
Like a refreshing bite of melon
And letting its juices run down your face

In contentment of the moment
And in eager anticipation of the future
Then you’re at a moment in time
That exists for you

It is your element
So choose well, or not well
It doesn’t matter.
Just don’t wipe the juices from your face.

Either way, stop worrying and enjoy life

Some people have been distressed over ads on the TTC that proclaim "There probably is no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy life." I believe that all religions should be able to exist free of discrimination, but don't have a problem with this ad and don't find it particularly offensive.

Anyone that has more than an ounce of faith isn't going to abandon God because of these ads, and the message isn't really making an attack on people of faith or their beliefs, its more so (in my interpretation) addressing people who are unsure of whether there is a God and are worried / fearful about the prospect. The TTC accepted the ad because they allow religious advertising, showing that they are willing to accept some minor backlash in order to do what they felt was right in a secular society. Atheism should be accepted and tolerated just as religion in its many forms should. I find that in efforts amongst faith groups to embrace the religious beliefs of others, Atheists are often left out. Also, many atheists are openly against ALL religion, and may do so in the name of human rights, citing the many problems that religion causes in the world. But those problems are really caused by specific interpretations of religious teachings. Religion can be an important part of culture, and in being intolerant of a person's religious beliefs, you are subjecting them to discrimination. In large doses often this leads to the oppression of specific faith groups.

The United Church of Canada (which is the denomination that I grew up in and still associate with) has launched the counter ad pictured above. The ad was intended to include both atheists and people of monotheistic faiths, and create discussion amongst both groups, but I find that it also provides a link between the two different views and shows that our ideas aren't all that different. Some people don't sweat the small things because they don't believe in God, and aren't worried that a higher power with punish their actions. Others don't sweat the small things because they do believe in God, and know that God will take care of them and keep them safe, so they aren't as worried about the details of day to day life. Some people who don't believe in God worry a lot, and feel that they are responsible for every little detail of their life, and feel panicked when things go wrong. Some people who do believe in God worry a lot as well, and feel that they need to do everything right in order to please God and fear punishment if they do not meet certain ideals.

So if people of faith and people of no faith are both feeling the same emotions, tensions, and levels of anxiety, then maybe it isn't really religion or lack thereof that is causing these things. Maybe it is a state of mind / personality type that people have, and they interpret their beliefs into it.

Speaking personally, I generally don't worry about things and trust God to take care of me. I believe in fate and have found that when things seem like they couldn't be worse, a sudden turn will change my perspective on what is happening and as things resolve and work out, I understand the reasons why things happened the way they did, and often it was for the better.

I like the dual advertisement, because it brings forth the message that whether or not you believe in God, you should stop worrying and enjoy your life. There are reasons to do so under both attitudes towards religion, and its a positive message for anyone who needs a reason to relax.

taking chances

My stomach churns
Yet I am at peace
My heart is yearning
but I don't know what to do.

Why is sometimes what you want
The hardest thing to know
When your appetite is craving
But your mind says take it slow

People try to sell me rationale
I don't know what to do
I sometimes wish everything were easy
But then life would be boring too.

I'm ready to take chances
but what kind of chances should I take
A chance that isn't remotely safe
Isn't a choice I'm willing to make

So I just float on day by day
Waiting for something new
But everything always stays the same
Maybe this time will be different too

I hope I wish I deny I don't know
How far this life is willing to go
I want to do amazing things
So I take chances, I spread my wings

Sometimes nothing is ever enough
But I dive in, jump off the bridge
The water is icy
But the shore's not too far.