How Do I Define Myself

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How do I define myself?

It’s not through

exquisite jewelry,

expensive cars,

a spacious mansion,

a lavish lifestyle

or money

How do I define myself?

By leading a simple life of

love,

laughter,

hugs,

smiles,

hope,

and joy

How do I define myself?

Through years and years

of knowledge and experience,

filled with trials and tribulations,

both good and bad

shared with family,

friends,

acquaintances,

myself

How do I define my life?

By sharing a smile,

offering a helping hand,

lending an ear,

being with loved ones,

enjoying everything around me,

taking nothing for granted,

simply living for now.

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Writing Haikus

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Writing is a gift

Your words convey true feelings

Inspire everyone

 

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Your stories bring hope

Share them with everyone now

Invigorate dreams

 

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Writing’s a journey

Embrace the path everyday

Always love your craft

I Am A Writer

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Being a writer, professional or amateur, whether it be in screenplays, novels, short stories, poems, blogs, articles, is one of the greatest feelings to experience.  We proudly claim that title and revel in the pure joy of our creations.  We are the dreamers that have no limits and our imaginations are vastly unique.

We, as writers, follow our heart and passionately tell stories of love, inspiration, hope, despair, sadness, joy and humor; it can come from personal experience or it could be purely fictional.

Our urge to let loose our “inner voice” and send them into the world is quite courageous.  Our vulnerability is on full display.  We subject ourselves to complete and total strangers who will either love it, hate it, criticize it, berate it, praise it, be informed by it or be inspired by it.

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We learn from it, accept it and grow to become even better artists of our craft.  Regardless of the outcome, we persevere.  Writers love what they do; writing nurtures our artistic soul.  It fills a need that non-writers can’t understand.

Writers continue on with their journey because it’s never-ending.  The path will only end when our mind’s well runs dry.  But all my fellow writers know, that’ll never happen.

So to all my fellow colleagues, remember that you are a writer!  Don’t ever forget that only “you” can be the one to tell “your” stories.  You are the masters of your craft; it’s a lifestyle formed from countless hours of blood, sweat and tears with a heavy dose of passion and heart.

Write, write every day.  Follow your heart and always dream big.

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It Always Rains When I Cry

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Lately I’ve noticed that

it always rains when I cry,

very comforting to know

I really don’t know why

Finding joy in sadness

makes no sense at all

but being in tune with one’s self

is to have the wherewithal

Knowing that you cared enough,

to give all of your heart,

emotions put on full display

for you to pick a la carte

 Empathy, compassion and love

caring traits…so tride and true,

can sometimes be our downfall

that all unbalances you

Recently I’ve notice that

it always rains when I cry,

but knowing that nature carries on

exhibits hope I can identify

 Life has its ups and downs

it shows you who you are,

embrace your journey wholeheartedly

do that and you’ll go far.

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Positively Positive Haikus

The sun shines brightly

Happiness engulfs me now

Time to spread the joy

 

To smile means to care

My love for you know no bounds

Always…Forever

 

 Laughter of children

Innocence so refreshing

Dreams and hopes alive

 

 Following your dreams

Your story is a journey

Inspire everyone

 

 You’re a great writer

Send your work into the world

Set your stories free

Longing For A Fulfilling Life

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I count my blessings every day I wake up; I have a wonderful wife, two great kids, a loving pet, caring family members and loyal friends.  My health is going well with the exceptions of a few aches and pains but that comes with age.

Lately, however, I’ve been feeling a tad bit unfulfilled; stuck in a rut and in a funk.  My life has stalled for some reason and it’s as if there’s something lacking in my life that somehow can’t be extinguished.  I noticed that it tends to rear its head when I’m at work.

Day in and day out, I trudge into the office to work for a private corporation whose bottom line is one of financial profit instead of valuing interpersonal relations with its employees.  Those that work tirelessly are underappreciated while the slackers and less qualified upper management are praised highly for taking credit where credit is not due.

Granted the pay is good but like I said earlier, it’s lacking in substance.  I’m at that age where I want to do something that matters; to make a life changing decision.  Yes, I know that sounds so cliché (and NO I am not trying to apply for sainthood) but it’s the God’s honest truth.

I want to work in a place where I know the things that I am doing are for the betterment of someone or a cause.  You know the feeling you get when you help someone in dire need without a thought of receiving anything in return?  The sense of doing something favorable for purely selfless reasons and cracking that big inner smile in the process; you can do no wrong when you give of yourself to someone.

That’s what I want to feel; I want to smile more while working instead of being worried about deadlines.  Learning to have more empathy for those that are in a far worse predicaments than I am.  Strengthening my compassion towards strangers.  Spreading hope when there is none.  And enjoying life in the whole scheme of things.  Doing something that’s rewarding and feeling a sense of self-satisfaction at the end of the day is what I’m longing for.  Being able to do this would not only enrich my being but it would give meaning to my place in life.

Most recently, I have been applying at places of interest that do that sort of thing for quite some time…but unfortunately no luck.  But that did not deter my desire for achieving the goal of doing something worthwhile to satisfy my inner soul.

I’ve been tirelessly perusing sites where I can volunteer my time and make a difference.  The most eye opening aspect of this process is seeing the number of pages that the volunteer application forms contain.

Some even require medical documentations of past immunizations, past work history, references, reasons for volunteering and a mandatory commitment for your free services.  My how times have changed from when I did community service back in high school.

Even if this whole process is time consuming, my urge to really do something worthwhile and make a difference in someone’s life is all that matters.  My hope is that I can find the perfect fit and in doing so quench that burning inner desire.

Finding Inspiration In The “New Year”

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I’m not too sure if I’m alone in thinking this way but every single year, just days after we ring in the New Year, I feel re-energized and inspired.  Everything and anything unfortunate that occurred the year before is completely erased.  I’ve been given a clean slate where anything is possible.     

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There’s HOPE!  I can see it, I can smell it, I can taste it…it’s finally within my grasp.

A sudden rush of invincibility and unbridled optimism fuels my drive to pursue my dreams; this euphoric feeling of boundless positivity and capability is intoxicating.  I’m in open space moving at Mach 6 towards my quest in achieving EVERY dream, whether it be big or small.20172

There’s nothing that I can’t accomplish…there is no fear…no hesitation in thought or action.  My focus is razor sharp and crystal clear.  The only thought that echoes in my mind like a broken record is “YES! This is THE year! This is gonna be MY year!”  

I know that thought is so cliché, but what can I say, I’m an eternal optimist at heart.  Feeling this way makes me want to share my words of affirmation and enthusiasm with anyone and everyone around me.  That’s a good thing, right?

This wave of emotions will eventually subside as the year progresses, but I’m going to ride it for as long as I can and know wholeheartedly that I gave it my all and then some. 

A Piece Of My Wish

A piece of my heart

is all I could give

when we were alone

For you belonged to another

you were never mine to own

My love for you 

never fully shared

Just a piece of my heart

to show that I cared

If I could’ve opened my heart

I would’ve given you so much

But the key to your love

was never mine to touch

A piece of my wish

is my only gift to you whenever we’re apart

May your love live forever

may happiness be in your heart.wish1

 

 

A Lesson From A Bird

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Wake up with a smile

it’ll brighten your day, 

the more bigger the smile

the happier you’ll stay

This little phrase

is something I would normally tell

but early one morning

a new thought rang a bell

I woke up one day

with the early morning light

and saw a little bird singing –

it was a most beautiful sight

This bird outside my window

was most happy and carefree,

it whistled and it chirped

as loud as can be

This little bird

gave a new meaning to my life –

“Let happiness rule your day

not your worries, not your strife”

As I continued to watch,

the bird left without a trace

leaving me with a memory

and a message in its place

So I ventured into the day

with a smile and good cheer

reassuring myself

that the bird of happiness is near

I did my best throughout the day

to spread happiness around,

this new trait of the little bird

in me now is found.

A Time of Thanks

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Every time this year, like most people, I always take stock in what I’m grateful for…my family, my friends, my health, my life, so on and so forth.  But this year, with the passing of two co-workers and a couple of family members and a health scare, I am truly appreciative for what I have.

 Every day leading up to Thanksgiving, I’ve been taking stock in what I have and the people who are around me and have never been more cognizant and content with my place in life.  There are just days when I can’t help but stop myself in my tracks and smile.

 On days like this I always think “Nothing could be more perfect in my life right now.  If I could just somehow stop time and live in this moment forever, I’d be totally ecstatic.”  A sense of overwhelming joy consumes me and thank God for giving me this occasion to feel this way.thanks4

 When I was younger, I often took for granted a lot of things in my life and somehow lost sight of what it really meant to be thankful for what I had around me.  It was all about “me” and the mere fact that I had many more years ahead just made me concentrate on what might be instead of what might come to pass.thanks1

 But if I hadn’t had all those missed opportunities, mistakes and regrets then I wouldn’t come to the self-realization of how lucky I am in life. Like that saying goes, “With age, comes wisdom.”  And I learned that I needed to enjoy the here and now, accept where I am in life and recognize the people around me that where steadfast in everything I did.

Because of my newfound outlook on life, I preach to my children everyday on acknowledging what they have, to try and not be cavalier on thinking that you have all the time in the world.  Time is a commodity that needs to be relished with respect and without regrets.