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Midlife Reflections #3

/ markmkane / 16 Comments

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The past couple of days, I’ve pondered on my life’s journey and what it took to get me here today.  It was a smooth ride that had numerous speed bumps and detours along the way.

I’ve had days when I hit the jackpot and everything went my way; even my mistakes and miscues resulted in a favorable outcome.

AND THEN there were those days where anything and everything went horribly wrong; where life put me in a loop and a series of jokes slapped me in the face one after another.

Regardless of what kind of day, week, month or year I had, I somehow survived; I lived to tell the tale and more often than not, I remembered in detail all of the good that I encountered.

Throughout all of my life’s experiences, I’ve come to the realization that sometimes my greatest memory can be my worst enemy.  Relishing and reminiscing about all those happy times brought about a false sense of thinking; that everything would result in something wonderful.

It was good to have a positive outlook but I needed to embrace all the bad that happened in my life wholeheartedly.  With every failed attempt I grew closer to success.

With much introspection, I’ve learned to value everything that crossed my path.  It helped me to be strong, wise, compassionate, focused, determined and grateful.  Life is way too short, so “Find the beauty in every moment” and bring out the best in yourself.

An Eternal Optimist

/ markmkane / 15 Comments

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In the face of

insurmountable odds

and naysayers doubting

your ability

You have to have

faith,

passion,

know yourself

inside and out

Develop a keen foresight

and inner confidence

Have the drive

to fight and persevere

Knowing it will be enough

to overcome everything

Once you can do that,

a spark of hope

springs from an endless well

that leaves you with a sense of

unbridled enthusiasm

A beacon at the end of the tunnel

that will never dissipate

When you can truly feel this way

accept it as canon,

that’s when you know you’re

an eternal optimist.

To Chase The Dream

/ markmkane / 5 Comments

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We all have various dreams,

some big and some small

Achieving them within our lifetime

is a most daunting task of all

 The failures, the pain,

the constant agony of defeat

Tests our will, our strength and resolve,

it knocks us off our feet

 Constantly trying and failing

is one of the best lesson we’ll get

It develops our drive, determination and passion

improves our successful living skill set

 Learning never stops

we have to grow everyday

Acquiring new and interesting knowledge

helps our dream get underway

 The grind towards the dream continues on,

it’s a path difficult and unclear

We must grit our teeth, head straight-forward

and show that we have no fear

 Our dream will never end

and in our hearts we must be true

To reach our goal, our life-long love

we must persevere and see it through

 So when you’re chasing your dream,

dig deep and give it your all

In the end you’ll fulfill your goal,

you can be proud and stand tall.

Forever Strong

/ markmkane / 4 Comments

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We wish good times would last,

that feeling of no tomorrow,

but we know that’s not the case

How does one stay strong

in the midst of the dark

When your life is riddled with

change,

crisis,

death,

tragedy,

pain,

heartache

We try to summon every ounce of

faith,

hope,

love,

courage,

support,

even false bravado

to overcome our trials and tribulations

We will never know how strong we are

until strong is the only choice we have

In the end if we do this, we’ll be

resilient in hard times,

fearless of the unknown,

eternally optimistic,

steadfast in our mind’s eye,

and

forever strong.

Midlife Reflections

/ markmkane / 6 Comments

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Back when I was much younger and starting out in the workforce, I used to think that a good paying job was the endgame to being happy and successful in life.  All that consumed me was trying to work for a company where I could climb that corporate ladder to a six figure salary; I was young, naive and dreamed big.  Little did I know that “all that glitters is not gold”.

I’ve seen people in good paying jobs but miserable as heck.  And I’ve seen the opposite, some in okay paying jobs but loving every minute of it.

Regardless of pay, we need to be happy in our jobs.  Why you may ask?  Since we spend three-quarters of the day at our place of employment, it stands to show that it’s like our second home with our second family.

If we can’t be happy there, then those feelings sometimes get transposed into our home lives.  We may not do that intentionally but it happens.  Life is too short to be miserable and stressed out.

In my current stage in life, I’ve come to the realization that life is meant to be enjoyed to its fullest.  After enduring the trials and tribulations of working many jobs, I only now know that if you’re not happy or enjoying what you do, find something that will.  Better late than never, right?

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This newfound wisdom is something that I impart on my children constantly.  So the next time you’re out job hunting, rather than asking yourself “how much does it pay?”, ponder on whether it’s something that you would “love” or “enjoy” doing for the rest of your life.  If you choose to follow the latter path, the pay will come.  Work for love, not money.

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You’re Grounded! Write Me A Story!

/ markmkane / 5 Comments

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The other day as I was walking through the local mall, I saw a mother unabashedly scolding her son.  He looked like he was about 9 or 10 years of age and completely embarrassed by the staring eyes of the mall’s patrons.

When the mother’s tirade ended, she forcefully grabbed her son’s arm and stormed away.  This scene was reminiscent of my childhood and all I could think of was what was in store for the boy when he gets home.

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I remembered whenever I did something bad, my parents would give me a good scolding and ground me.  “YOU CAN’T GO OUT AND PLAY AND NO TV FOR A WEEK!” is what my mom usually bellowed.  Back in my time, this was painful; I didn’t have the luxuries that the kids have nowadays.

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Being “grounded” meant just staying in my room doing nothing.  At that time there were no such things as cable TV, cellphones or video games.  All that I could do to pass the time away was listen to AM radio stations (because there weren’t any FM at that time).

Now whenever I did something “REALLY” bad, like playing with matches and burning things, I got a healthy dose of spankings.  My mother would get “the belt” and teach me an unforgettable lesson.

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Please don’t think bad of my mom; she’s the most kindest and caring person in the world.  Some of the terrible things I did as a young boy were REALLY BAD…trust me.  Remember, I grew up in a time when this was perfectly acceptable or “PC.”  Your neighbors and even teachers were allowed to do the same if you got way out of line…boy how times have changed.

As I was growing up, I wondered how I would discipline my children if they ever did something bad.  Well, cut to present day…as a parent of two, I decided to go the unconventional route.

When my children were young and did something bad, I made them write me a story and then read it to me and my wife.

“Don’t worry about grammar or spelling, just write me a story” is what I would tell them.

“What do you want us to write about?” my children would reply.

My answer, “Anything!  Just write me a story!”

For some unknown reason, this punishment really stressed them out.  Secretly I think that they would have rather been scolded or grounded.

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For the longest time, they would stare at a blank page and wrack their brains to come up with anything.  Their stories were simple at first but in time, they got to be more and more creative.  Their speaking skills improved as well.

Don’t get me wrong, they still got a good scolding if they did something really bad but I felt that I wanted to try and bring out their creativity at an early age.

This punishment benefitted them during their early school years and were recognized by their teachers whenever we had our annual parent-teacher conference.

Now that my kids are teenagers, this punishment is way too easy for them.  I need to come up with a whole new game plan.  Maybe I’ll make them come up with a dance choreography…yeah, I’ll do that!

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In The End, It’s All Good

/ markmkane / 7 Comments

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I’m always in awe every time I peruse the other blog sites; their writings are eloquent, articulate, beautiful, concise, humorous, lyrical and picturesque.  Even after all these years of writing, I sometimes feel like I’m not in their league.

Because of that, I tend to have a qualm with my writing style; doubts creep in.  Am I too wordy?  Is my writing clear enough to get the message across?  Am I too boring?  Not funny enough?  What are the other readers thinking?

Every time I sit at my computer to write, I always wonder if the words that I choose truly evoke what I’m feeling deep inside.  Because of that, my writing process is hampered.  A3

Often times I get stuck trying to figure out how to convey my thoughts into words.  Do I use simple words?  Are there more elegant ones that would make it sound more thought provoking?  If I use those words will I sound too flowery?  Or will it make me sound like an idiot for not using it the correct way?  A6

The plethora of words wage war and usually the victor emerges after a few minutes.  But even then, I still question as to how I’ll form sentences with it. A2

Writing shouldn’t be this difficult right?  It should be free flowing without any debilitating thoughts.  Or at least that’s how I envision it.  Why do I always go through this?!

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I do admit that I’m getting better at not having these hang-ups but the thoughts are there in my somnolent memory waiting to bust out unexpectedly.

But I’ve concluded that this is what I love to do.  So I just plow ahead, write it down and not fret!  The way I write is who I am and I should accept it.  Other writers don’t care.  We all do this because this is our passion.  We only care if we are inspired, entertained or informed about one another’s writings.

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So in the end, it’s all good.

 

To Be A Friend

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You make me smile

when I’m feeling down,

You chase away my problems,

make it hard for me to frown

Your wise advice,

though they maybe small

These are the ones

that help most of all

A watchful eye,

that’s alert and aware

of how I really feel,

whether good, bad, or fair

Thank you so much

for always being there

You give of your time

to show that you care

You give so much

to help me in life,

of the good things to expect

along with the stress and strife.

 

My 2nd Anniversary

/ markmkane / 1 Comment

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I can’t believe it, just had to pinch myself.  It’s officially been 2 years since I started this venture of blogging…didn’t think I’d last a year let alone two.  It somehow feels more like 3 or 4 years but time really has a way of making things seem longer than what they really are.  Nonetheless, I am plugging away and putting myself out there for others to stop by and peruse my musings.

I can honestly say that this truly was a journey, one that I was a bit skeptic at undertaking; it kind of felt like homework to me.  One where I would be critiqued by not one, not two but countless of others who would find aspects of my work unappealing.

I hesitated for a moment thinking “Am I crazy?! I don’t need to deal with this!”  But at my manager’s behest, and her unbridled positive enthusiasm, I decided to “Go for it!”

Even though my blog site is still a work in progress and I haven’t found a niche, I’ve found this venture to be both therapeutic and phenomenal.

I used to be afraid of what people would say about my writing style, my stories, my poems and even my rants and raves.  Just putting myself out there without regard of what negative feedback I may get is somewhat liberating.

It’s as if this blog site was my personal diary; a place where I can let my inner voice run wild.  A place where my ideas and feelings can paint a picture that was somehow hidden deep within my somnolent consciousness.

Every post written, every word chosen enabled me to create my art with unbridled pride and joy.  AND sharing myself…giving some semblance of positivity, inspiration and insight into how I see the world is invigorating.   I’m lucky to be able to do this of my own volition.  I love what I’ve done so far and eagerly look forward to what I come up with on my next post.

Let Your “Inner Voice Shine Through

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In my opinion, one of the best things about being a writer is showcasing our inner voice through our pieces of prose to the world.  Our writing style, our choice of words and our descriptive passages all reflect our artistic expression hidden deep within.  inner6

Everyone’s writing style is unique; it can be eloquent, serious, humorous, wordy, concise or simple.  The fact that we get our point across to any and all readers, in whatever fashion our voice dictates, is truly amazing.  AND the painstaking years that it took just to get us comfortable in writing is a feat in itself.  AND the tremendous courage it takes to put forth our laborious effort for strangers to read.  inner7

That’s why I enjoy reading other people’s work; I love the fact that they took the time to share something that was on their mind.  I’m able to get a semblance of their personality through their choice of topics and words.  It’s like meeting a stranger and getting to know them through their writing.  The more I read, the more I become familiar with them.  inner3

We as writers share a piece of our soul in the hopes of bringing to view something that we feel has value and get a sense of self-satisfaction from doing so.  Our reasons for exhibiting our work can be therapeutic, informative or for entertainment.

I’ve known a couple of writers, however, that were quite hesitant to impart their work for public viewing for fear of crucifying comments or lack of praise.  They toiled over their piece but found it difficult to take it to the next step; in the end, they abandoned their desire for writing.  It was a sad loss because I felt that they had something of quality that was worth sharing.

inner1We need to lose all inhibitions and accept the fact that there will be some people that’ll like what we write and others that’ll hate it.  It all comes with the territory of our craft and shouldn’t be a factor in deterring our passion for writing.

The joy we get from putting pen to paper,  the dedication to honing our craft, the anticipation of producing something substantial from a mere thought and the gratification from seeing the final product are qualities that strengthen our passion.  In the end, our devotion to writing should outweigh all reactions, whether it be good or bad.  So let loose, face your fears, WRITE and let your “Inner Voice”shine through.

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