Carry On

Beyond the walls, the story continues on. Turning a deaf ear to the cries for help will result in ruin and no one will be spared. 

We all are still fighting our battles, on our own and with others. But the summit is near enough for the eyes to see it in full. Each step matters, be careful not to trip. Cut rations when necessary; tighten the laces on your hiking shoes. 

Most of all, carry on. 

Be heartened to know that just as ruin lies in wait for those who will walk away from the call, the greatest prize is at hand for you who with an unhardened heart will hear the cries, and with steely determination take the next steps forward.

Beyond the walls, the story continues on. And when the long journey has finally ended, home will welcome us back and rest will be at hand.

Happiness

Each story has an inevitable ending. The battle between our better nature and our worst impulses will eventually conclude. In writing my own version, the image that comes to mind is this: the tree branches reach up higher than ever, and their foliage has almost covered up the sun. The vines run up and down the sturdy stone wall. Hidden within these walls, an unbothered soul who has made peace and found happiness. 

Travel Light

The weight of the world is heavy and we do not need to carry its weight around. But we will, unless we bring with us only what is essential. 

We can only take a finite number of steps, and the road will end sooner than we can ever expect. It is wise for us to walk light, but it is hubris to be untethered.

Yes, the weight of the world is heavy and we do not need to carry its weight around. But we will, unless we let go of what is unnecessary.

Let The Rain Wash Your Heart Clean

The moonlight, cold and bright, soothes the heart.

The heavy rain a balm to the soul.

The muddy puddle carries the scent of the earth.

The flower blooms eternally transfixing.

Wind-swept, rain-drenched, muddied, and transfixed.

Once again, the descent was arrested. And you've been saved.

Catch Yourself

Turn the lens in on your yourself. 

Like the frog trapped in an itinerant salesman's glass box, forced to look at itself from all angles, then sweating profusely from what it sees, only for the excreted fluids be bottled as a cure for all ailments -- we must catch ourselves and yield an antidote to what ails us.

But alas, it is always easier to look away from the sight of your unwanted warts and live your whole life in denial. Worst, it is easy to fall into deception and deny in others what you have denied yourself.

Turn the lens in on your yourself so that you may free yourself just as you free others to do so for themselves.

Fire And Fury

The truth is dishonesty ruins the world. All things will push and pull but evil has no place anywhere.

Some would say we can't handle the truth. But they only say that because they already lied so much they lost track of the simplest things that matter.

I don't believe in wars to keep peace. I don't believe in lies to protect what's true. I don't believe in attempts to keep it together through deception. All lies are created equal and none of it matters.

Keep it simple, and everything will be in order. No need for slights of hand. No need for surveillance. No need for cheap thrills and cheap tricks.

All we need is clean air, clean water, and a clean heart. Yet, when all roads that lead to a sanctuary are blocked, then like a prisoner of war you recite over and over in your mind your most deeply held conviction to keep yourself sane and your spirit intact.

Out In The Open

The battle happens out in the open and only a coward fronts a friendly face while whispering in coded tones behind. Those who cannot fight fairly are always found out because the indelible mark of defeat gives them away time and again. But anything in the shadows are always brought out into light. And time is a comrade in the battle to set true intentions straight. Sincerity always reeks of death.