Running In Circles

So, the obvious 'comes apparent;
Does this change 'nything in truth?
For our friendship leaves the aberrant
‘Fore I come home to Duluth

And I found another lover
And your soul and mine depart
And my freedom, I recover
And I find again my heart

There was never any answer in the minds rejecting love
There was never any truth in those blue skies, so far above
There was only I and you, two lonely souls stood, side-by-side
There were only two hearts calling, though but one love could abide

And I found this other lover
And your soul and mind depart
And my freedom, I recover
And I offer him my heart

So, the obvious 'comes apparent,
And all life is changed, in truth
And a friendship dies, inherent,
For each choice made in Duluth

But, I found my only lover
Ne’er his soul and mine depart
And our freedom, we’ll recover
As I share with him my heart

There was never any answer in the minds rejecting love
There was never any truth in those blue skies, so far above
There are only I and you, together: souls here, hand-in-hand
There are only two hearts ‘twining, exploring love and life, unplanned

A Way Out

Nobody can make it “okay” except for you.

You’re struggling. I get it.  I’ve been there in so many ways, so many times, you wouldn’t believe it.

The only way out is you.

I’ve been penniless before.  I’ve starved three times in my adult life:  twice when I was pregnant with each of my kids.

I’m talking:

We daydreamed of what might be in the refrigerator,

we were so poor;

and that’s not even nearly the worst I’ve suffered through.

So, I get it.

But here’s the thing:

Find what you love,

not WHO you love.

Do what you love,

not WHO you love.

That solves everything.

Literally everything.

BE who you love;

That’s really the only step.

There’s just one. That’s it.

Your stories are, unfortunately, just a slow way for you to examine yourself until you can get to THAT TRUTH,

and, until you figure out THAT TRUTH, your stories are unfortunately just excuses.

I’m not dismissing you. I’m trying to help you.

But it is up to you to decide that you are committed to you.

Write.

Every single day.

You can use your computer, if you like.

Just use Notepad.

But write EVERY SINGLE DAY:

Write your stories;

Write them THERE.

Write about your frustrations.

Write about your dreams.

Write until you’re sick of hearing yourself write.

Write until you’re sick of complaining about the same old shit.

Write and write and write and write and write and write.

Something will break in you.

Don’t judge ANYTHING you think or feel.

Write it ALL there.

It’s your sacred place without judgement.

Let no one read it unless you feel like they are someone you feel you could die with:

I mean that very very literally.

Let no one read it unless you TRULY want to share it.

Write like it was going to save your life

Because it WILL,

if you keep writing.

When you feel like it, go back and read old pages.

Write about your hopes, your dreams, your frustrations.

Write about how sick you are of whatever you’re sick of.

Write about how stupid I am for giving you this damned assignment – if that’s what you feel.

But WRITE

EVERY DAY.

Give yourself a word limit. You can write more, but not less.

You’ll fail.

Do it again.

Keep writing.

THAT is how I saved myself.

Part of it, anyway; but that was significant, huge.

That’s why you have to commit, first. You see?

Your conscious mind will find a way to express to you all of what matters, and the writing will tell your mind that these are the things that matter to you most.

It will focus on solutions for those problems

and it will help you find them;

but if you are dishonest

you are only cheating YOURSELF

and you will find yourself unhappy.

It’s as easy as this:

If you go to McDonald’s and order a Big Mac when you really want an ice cream cone, you can’t blame anyone except yourself for NOT getting the ice cream cone.

Understand?

And if you HATE McDonald’s?

You can’t blame the existence of McDonald’s.

You can only blame yourself for GOING there.

Super-easy, huh?


** With credit and profound thanks to Julie Cameron for her wise advice in The Artist’s Way and to the late Frank Herbert for his immense wisdom in all the books of the DUNE series – all of which has changed my life only because I took it all and made it mine.

Moments by Mark Gilligan

Oceans of Mine is Extremely grateful to photographer Mark Gilligan for sharing his original works

Mark can be found on Twitter at @MarkGilliganHr

and on WordPress at

Mark Gilligan Photography

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Warning
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Warning.

 

What we know of other people is only our memory of the moments during which we knew them. And they have changed since then.

Just reach out and touch me…

The sun shines outside upon wavering leaves,

Clothes spin rhythmically in the hall’s machine,

And the kitten climbs over the hills of my hips,

Massaging tiny claws into my slender waist:

Intoxications, all, thick with poignant quiet,

Tense with the slipping void,

Tight with the ticking of time,

Deep in the afterglow of you.

A chill blankets me,

I curl into the shadow of a new-old energy;

Visions billow behind closed eyes,

Dreams-wants-desires filling the miles between:

Sailing the seas, spilling joy with the sun’s kisses;

Careening steadily through trees on mountains high;

Speeding on lost highways under the moon’s laughing grin;

Growing the magic of love with mutual friends…

So many seeds we planted in our late-night meeting,

Wishes dangling like fire-lit lamps on our path;

When you are ready to dine on peaches and pears,

When you choose to wake or fall into a dream:

I will be there to taste your lips again,

To breathe fire into your heart,

To wander far into our world,

To be the never-ending beauty that is ours.

 

I’m not running away from anything, I’m running towards. I’m running towards love, towards things larger than life. I’m not running away from my problems, I’m simply leaving them behind, leaving them in the past. I don’t need them where I’m going.