fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
The People I Meet At Tim’s
By: Jim Mcaulay
Tags: Tim Hortons, Illumination, Humor, Humour, Jim Mcaulay

The People I Meet At Tim’s

Varvara Rigon photo by the author

Every day my dog and I walk to Tim’s. I get a steeped tea with 2 milk and a bowl of water for the dog. I don’t have to say anything. They see me coming and my tea and the water is there waiting for me.

No matter where you live in Canada you are probably not very far from Tim’s. In Canada there are currently 4,286 Tim Horton’s coffee shop locations. I live in Kingston Ontario, which is a relatively small city and we have 20 locations within the city limits.

Sometimes I sit quietly and jot down a few notes for the next story I am going to write. However more often than not there is somebody to talk to.

One of Tim’s regulars is the vivacious 86 year old Barbara who is always ready to chat.

With Covid it is mostly individual seating but that does not seem to cramp her style. She has a friendly outgoing personality and always has a warm greeting for her legion of friends.

Barbara, whose real name is Varvara was born in Greece in 1932. Only 7 years old when World War 2 broke out, she received very little formal education and started working when she was quite young. She was an apprentice at a hair salon in Athens when the head of the famed National Theater of Athens came looking for a young girl to look after the wigs that were a mainstay in the mostly classical repertoire of the theater.

“I want that one” he said, pointing at Varvara.

And so began her journey into the world of the theater. The National Theater produces classical Greek drama such as the works Sophocles as well the plays of Moliere in translation. Wigs were a mainstay and she was kept busy fixing the wigs and doing the hair of the actors.

In 1959 She married Peter Rigon and 6 months later they moved to Montreal. Unable to speak either French of English she began looking for work. Her sister got her an interview for a job in a hospital but held little hope of her getting the job. She told the personnel officer that Varvara could not speak English very well. In fact her knowledge of English was limited to two words “yes” and “no”. She was however sensitive to people’s emotions and went through a long interview responding correctly to questions she was asked without understanding a word that was said.

Afterward the manager said to her sister. “Her knowledge of English is perfect.”

After about 6 months working at the hospital, this young girl with very little money and a very limited knowledge of French or English decided to open a hair salon.

Vavara’s Hair Salon was an instant success and soon became the top hair salon in Montreal, catering to Montreal’s elite.

In 1972 she and her husband moved to Kingston. She opened another hair salon and her husband took over the operation of Kingston Monuments which made marble headstones and expanded into making marble countertops.
Life
By: Lyndsey Frondarina
Tags: Anxiety, Illumination, Depression, Mental Health, Poetry

Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash

I swear I saw

a speck of light,

shining through

with all its might,

in an effort to make life

a little more bright.

For a split second, I thought

things might be going right.

Then darkness came

and swallowed it whole,

decimating that last speck

of hope inside my soul!

A lifetime of despair

taking its toll,

forcing me to finally

relinquish all control!

I let it consume me!

Tired of fighting back,

just sat there emotionless

as I flew off tack.

All the colors disappeared

and everything turned black!

Life never cuts me

the slightest bit of slack!

Eyes wide open

and still I can’t see

why the f*ck this is my reality?

Is this really what life

is supposed to be?

Can one f*cking thing

ever workout for me?
Lucky Number Zero
By: Darren Richardson
Tags: Illumination, Fiction, Gambling Addiction, Gambling, Gambling Superstitions

Lucky Number Zero

A straight bet on one roulette number pays 35–1. (Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash)

At Ron’s insistence, we stopped at the aptly named Chinese Buffet in Pinole before heading over to Golden Gate Fields for the afternoon races.

I had already eaten a full breakfast; he had not. That left me nursing a Coke and studying the racing form as he filled up.

He finished his third plate after about 20 minutes.

“Much better,” he said, patting his sizeable belly through his blue and yellow Cal Bears T-shirt.

He laid a twenty on the table and started to get up.

“Aren’t you going to check your fortune?” I asked.

“Right,” he said, settling back in. “I guess I’d better.”

He cracked open the cookie and pulled out the tiny rectangular prophecy slip, holding it at an odd angle under his glasses as he tilted his head back. Nearsighted since childhood, he quickly opted for removing the lenses so he could read without all the contortions. His new progressives were proving problematic.

“What’s it say?”

“Not much,” he said, turning it over between thumb and index finger. “But it’s got the same thing printed on both sides.”

“What?” I had no reason to doubt him, but the words came out in a skeptical tone.

“See for yourself. It’s weird. I gotta go take care of some business for a few minutes,” he said euphemistically before walking toward the bathroom.

Alone at the table, I read the fortune and pondered its meaning.

“Lucky Number Zero.” The same words were printed in emerald green on both sides. Most fortunes came with a pithy saying on one side and a number or set of numbers on the other. Not this one. To make matters stranger, I only remembered getting fortunes printed in red or black, never green.

I looked over the racing form again to see if any of the horses’ names stood out in light of the fortune’s message. A horse named “More Than Luck” was running in the fifth race at 15–1.

I was all set to tell Ron about “More Than Luck,” but he had something else on his mind when he got back to the booth.

“Okay, now hear me out,” he began, so I did.

His theory was that the fortune meant we were supposed to skip the track and go straight to the roulette table at the casino.

“It couldn’t be any clearer, Zane,” he stated in a matter-of-fact voice. “It’s got to be a sign.”

He didn’t have to twist my arm. Since getting sucked down the gambling hole a few years earlier, I’d learned how to pay attention to possible signs — even when they turned out to be nothing of the sort.

As we got up from the booth, eager to cash in on our insider knowledge, I reminded Ron he had to do something first.

“You’ve got to eat the cookie,” I said, “or it won’t come true.”

A look of relief came over him as if someone had reminded him to turn off the stove before he left the house.

“Good point. Glad you remembered that part, buddy.” He made the cookie disappear in one bite.
Love or Politics? A visit with my dad
By: Dr. Jackie Greenwood
Tags: Illumination, Love, Parents, Poetry, Family

A MORAL DILEMMA

Love or Politics?

ove and PolticsPhoto by Roland Kay-Smith on Unsplash

I care for you,

I’m there for you

but I don't care for

your politics

or

your obsession with

money and power

or

your swift dismissal of

those you think

beneath you

or

your disregard for

others feelings

or

how you confuse

caring

with weakness

or

take our devotion

for granted

I know I’m annoying

buzzing in your ear,

questioning your point of view

You say -

it’s none of your beeswax!

Still,

I care for you,

I’m there for you

my love,

your politics

a moral dilemma

I can live with

Dr. Jackie Greenwood

Thanks for reading :)

Something different :
Christmas Is Different This Year
Tags: Poem, Illumination, Christmas, Covid 19, Poetry

Christmas Is Different This Year

Photo by Charlie Robert on Unsplash

It wasn’t easy making that phone call,

Telling my daughter she couldn’t come at Christmas.

The rules have changed.

No overnight stay,

No sharing of cutlery or crockery.

No board games.

She knew the call was coming, but hoped to find a way.

It helped a little, knowing thousands made the same call.

We will stay at home a little longer,

Blow air kisses on the screen,

And remember how it used to be

When we could hug.
In a Think Tank
By: Debbie Miller
Tags: Poem, Illumination, Scrittura, Poetry On Medium, Poetry

Heads huddled together,

Shrouded in secrecy,

They- those who seek

To rewrite existence’s

Very narrative-

Clandestinely meet to plot,

Meticulously they scheme,

to destroy or infect

The rest of the world

In the never ending quest

For power and control.

Genetically engineered

Destructive viruses

Kept sealed away

In airtight state of the art

Containment equipment,

Developed under the

Most stringent protocols,

Waiting to be unleashed

On an unprepared

Ignorant populace.

But this time

with a fail safe in place:

An antidote and vaccine

To be administered

in advance at discretion

Of those who choose

To purchase this 21st

Century weapon

Of mass destruction.

An antidote guaranteed

To protect their citizens-

Because, after all these

years it’s still us or them-

While the rest of the world

Feels the horror of

Devastating infection

And the loss of life;

However, masterminds

will emerged unscathed

when they generously offer

the coveted vaccine

To the desperate

world populace-

At a price, of course-

Reaping financial riches

Undeserved accolades

Riding to the rescue

On their Trojan horse,

being deemed the Savior

Instead of the Devil

Of deceit they really are

using science to destroy

Rather than to benefit

Unsuspecting humanity.
Volume Three of The Best Illumination Writers Christmas Reads
By: Liam Ireland
Tags: Illumination, Christmas Tree, Writing Tips, Writing, Short Stories And Poems

Photograph by Rodio Kutsaev on Unsplash

I never dreamt when I started this project that it would go so well. I guess it is because deep down, apart from the odd Grinch, we all love Christmas and we love even more a nice Christmas story.

As here we are on volume three already and what better start than a lovely story from none other than our super editor/writer Tree Langdon

I have to tell you, Tree is an absolute joy to work with. She is so feet on the ground, common sensible, and yet she can fly up in the clouds with the best of us on whatever flight of creative fantasy she chooses.

Two things I especially adore about working with Tree is she is a great, supportive and collaborative team player, as well as being a superb leader and follower. Whatever ball falls at her feet she will pick it up and run with it. You couldn't ask for more.

And so on we go towards a time of love, happiness and joy. I'm still an incurable romantic who likes to believe in Father Christmas. Yes I know it was my mum and dad who gave me all those presents, and the best present of all that they gave me was the love, care and tenderness that they could. But they also gave me the romantic idea of a beautiful fantasy, the concept of Father Christmas, a philanthropist whose sole objective is to make children happy. For me, it is one of the best stories there is, a story about a man who gives the world, in return for nothing more than a couple of mince pies and a glass of sherry.

For alternative ideas of what Christmas is all about, please check out the wonderful offerings of our writers, each and every one of them a kind of Father, or Mother, Christmas in their own right, sending us the gift of their writings. Happy Christmas all.

Tree Langdon

Thewriteyard

Kevin

Tracy Stengel

Liam Ireland

Deena Thomson

Patrick M. Ohana

kurt gasbarra

Karina Klaus
Jump For Joy
By: Debbie Miller
Tags: Poem, Illumination, Scrittura, Poetry On Medium, Poetry

Lying restlessly in bed

early Saturday morning,

The sun filtering through

the dusty blinds,

I pick up my phone,

and a notification

Flashes like a beacon

across my screen.

My heart jumps for joy.

Today I can buy my book-

Not just any book

but the book I have

Been Obsessing over

Languishing for

longing for

With as much anticipation

As a woman waiting

for her lover

To come home from a long

seemingly never ending

Untenable war.

The book that is a sequel

To the book

I read over a year ago

But the characters

still live within me

Every day they

whisper enticingly

Mulling over possibilities

wanting desperately to tell

Me their story:

what happens next

On their danger fraught

journey through life.

anticipation mounting-

I shower and head out

Glad that

Barnes and Noble

Offers hot steaming coffee

Along with that piece of

heaven I plan to fall

into as soon

As my purchase

is firmly in my hand.

The problems I am facing

Along with the

desperate blankness

Of this sometimes

unbearable life

Will be shed

like a snake shedding

Her worn out

and well used skin.

And I will tumble into

The welcome oblivion

of creative imagination

As I assume the persona

Of my favorite character

And live our her life-

A welcome respite from

The monotony of my

assembly line like

Routine focused existence.

I will savor each decision

Each moment of her life

As it unfolds miraculously

minute by minute

Hour by hour

Day by day

Page by page

As we travel together:

souls merging on our

Engrossing exciting quest

For the end of the story.

And I wil cry her tears,

Love with her love,

be braver than I have

Ever been in my own life:

Chasing my nirvana

Through the pages of my

Long coveted-soon to be

hoarded and devoured

treasure of words.
To My Brother
By: Lyndsey Frondarina
Tags: Illumination, Siblings, Suicide Awareness, Mental Health, Poetry

To My Brother

(original pictures: Brother and me)

I used to wish I was the younger sibling

so you could take care of me,

it wasn’t easy thinking I always had to be

the strong one, but I guess

that’s what I was born to be.

Looking back, you took care of me

more than I realized,

it’s because of you I’m still alive!

Even on my darkest days, I couldn’t imagine

leaving you all alone in a world I so despised!
Responsibility Begins With You
By: Sharon Brandon
Tags: Illumination, Spiritual Tree, Spiritual Secrets, Self-awareness, Inspirational

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
The Skin of Uncertainty
By: Adam Ray Cronk
Tags: Illumination, Confidence, Poetry On Medium, Haiku, Poetry

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
ILLUMINATION
By: Claudia Stack
Tags: Illumination, Life, Parenting, Writing, Poetry

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
Parallel
By: Lyndsey Frondarina
Tags: Illumination, Poetry On Medium, Haiku, Poetry, Haiku Poetry

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
I am Not Ashamed of It. Period.
Tags: Feminism, Illumination, Equality, Culture Change, Taboo

I am Not Ashamed of It. Period.

Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash

In my school days, we had our weekly physical training classes on Wednesday. It so happened that I was feeling unwell on one of those days. But I did not have a diary note, stating the same, to show to my principal, in order to escape the drill. We were already in formation, according to our sections and the class was about to begin. I turned and said to my friend that I will not be able to do it. She said that I had to. I racked my brain for a while and then went up to our Principal, who was standing on the podium and mumbled something in his ears. He just looked at me for a few seconds and send me off to class. After the session, my friend came running to me and asked what did I tell him.

I started my periods.

Her look was as if she had seen an eight-legged dog.

I had lied that day but was introduced to the shame of periods.
Wisdom
By: Rita Duponty
Tags: Poems, Illumination, Life, Poetry, Self Improvement

Is she knocking at your door?

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

She may come knocking at your

door striking like a ton of bricks.

or,

She may gently nudge you like

droplets of a fine summer

rain on a window pane.

What will you do?

Will you persist in your pride

and seek to hide?

Wisdom is not elusive.

Wisdom is not an illusion.

She is real!

It’s up to you to take stock

and listen to her appeal.

© Rita Duponty, 2020
The Most Amazing Feat In The History Of Journalism
By: Jim Mcaulay
Tags: Illumination, Journalism, Humour, Jim Mcaulay, Samuel Johnson

The Most Amazing Feat In The History Of Journalism

Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

In 1738 the British House of Commons passed a law making it a “breach of privilege” to publish parliamentary speeches. The Gentleman’s Magazine decided to publish thinly veiled fictional accounts of the speeches to let the public know what was happening.

For two and a half years Samuel Johnson wrote a fictional account of the proceedings without setting foot in Parliament. A source would tell him who spoke, in what order, the general position, and arguments that they made. Johnson would then make up eloquent speeches, as they might have been given.

The speeches were so well written that the speakers themselves did not disavow them. They were taken as authentic transcripts for a least the next twenty years. As late as 1899, they were still appearing in anthologies of the world’s best oratory, credited to the alleged speakers and not to Johnson.

Once, overhearing the company at a dinner party raving about the brilliance of a speech by William Pitt the Elder, Johnson interrupted . “That speech I wrote in a garret in Exeter Street.”
Video games can change the life of a society.
By: Erivaldo Ricardo
Tags: Illumination, Ideas, Gaming, Technology, Learning

How has all this helped me?

In 2017 I entered the driving school for the first time. I probably didn’t know anything because I had never had physical contact with a car from a driving point of view, but the opposite happened.

I arrived on the first day and everything seemed very confusing.

There were a lot of road signs that I didn’t know existed, but there were things that my instructor was impressed that I knew in both the theoretical and practical areas, but I’ll explain what happened in the practice area to be more impressive.

Normally a normal student who gets into the car for the first time forgets to put his belt on because of nervousness or for another similar reason, but I got in and the teacher was immediately impressed because it wasn’t normal for it to happen. Then, after following all the security procedures, the teacher started by telling me to step on the clutch put the first stain on, and move on, and at first, I did it without letting the car die as if I had done it before.

The last thing he noticed about me and made a point of telling me was that I had no problem controlling the steering wheel because most students zigzag with the car.

The car video games undoubtedly helped me a lot in that, as they taught me basic things over time and it was thanks to them that I didn’t have any major driving problems at school.

I am passing on this perspective, but I am a witness that I have not learned things just from these types of games, but people can learn to play soccer by playing soccer video games, learn to solve crimes by playing criminal investigation games, and may even learn tricks from self-defense in martial arts games. I know that all of this can also have consequences because there are people who take these things to the extreme after learning how it works through a video game, but the rate of this happening statistically has been much more positive and almost zero negative.
Losing a Word
By: Patrick M. Ohana
Tags: Illumination, Word, Love, Poetry, Meditation

Losing a Word

Pic by Marquitta Spagnolo (CC0) on Pixy

Losing a word is like losing someone

Except that a word can be replaced

Whereas someone usually cannot

Is there a word that cannot be replaced

in any language or dialect

I propose the word love

Imagine life without it

I like you

I like you very much

I adore you

I more than that you

I’m in something with you

There’s a word missing

How about using crave

I crave you

It’s awful

I’m smitten with you

It’s not enough

I’m besotted with you

Oh my God

I cherish you

Come on

I worship you

It’s better but no

I idolize you

Same thing

I treasure you

You and everyone else

I prize you

How much am I worth

You see

There’s a word missing

I’d feel like I’ve lost someone

if I could’t use and mean

the word love

Patrick M. Ohana
Please Let Me Be In The Zone
By: Josh Balerite Acol
Tags: Illumination, Illumination Poetry, Flow State, Poetry, Josh Balerite Acol

FLOW STATE | WRITING | POETRY

“Unleash your creative energy and let it flow. Relish the possibilities.” — Nita Leland

Photo by Anastase Maragos on Unsplash

Here I am again,

at a loss for words,

I can’t explain;

fumbling, and complaining,

Like a bat under my hat

let me see not,

with my mere set of eyes.

Let me cross the threshold

of this elusive crossroad,

whom athletes call

“being in the zone” y’all.

Whom others point to as,

“a heightened state of consciousness”

as what his prominence,

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi tells me,

But oh, who is he, propel me

Mr. Flow State, you see.

Oh, powerful gods of penning,

send me into a state of tending;

Let me feel the pleasure

of this ultimate treasure.

Harness me with wings

and let me rose

into nothingness,

Gift me a tail and gills;

Let me swim into the depths

of the ocean of musings,

where calmness is harnessed;

transcendency resides.

Let me not be distracted

by thee surrounded;

even so with my inner critic,

Let me not mind

the buzzing world behind.

It's just me and my pen,

my immature notions

and my phenomenal muse;

Nothing, no one will hinder me,

in this state of uncontrollable

heights, happiness,

and productivity.

Never will I be

settled by anything,

nor anyone;

not even you

my loyal one.

This is just me

unrivaled with my

soul and my composing;

intense, full of emotions,

like a lover to

his beloved ane.

I will be for you

and you for me alone,

together we will be,

now and evermore.

I don’t care how or

what will soon be,

as long as I pick up

how to cheer me up;

“Never be afraid to fail,

even as stale as a snail

you can try now and later as well.”

Thus, soon I will be in the zone

leave not a stone unturned;

Barely through this way,

I’ll make this world merry,

simply by just writing my story.
Do loud sounds make you angry?
By: Rabia Akram
Tags: Illumination, Disorders, Misophonia

Do Loud Sounds Make You Angry?

Photo by Brittany Colette on Unsplash

I have been to places where I craved complete shut down of voices for attaining my inner satisfaction. I have been to places where I wanted to break down a thousand glasses of champagne without making any noise. Alright, I know it’s an expensive wish. But oh dear, I wished I have that magic power.

Bizarre, but what does that notion mean? Am I allergic to sound? Is there any classification for this phenomenon?

Fortunately, there is a Greek word for every medical condition in the world. Etymologists named it “Misophonia” on purpose for their “hatred of sound.”

If the sounds like chewing or swallowing drive you crazy, then my dear friend, you are a silent sufferer of misophonia.

Admit it. No one likes to hear the sound of people spitting, and throat clearing on purpose. It’s disgusting, and I feel outrageous when someone does that in the public gathering.

It’s not surprising that people these days have started wearing earplugs and headphones to tune out the unnecessary sounds in their surroundings.
Volume Two of The Best Illumination Writers Christmas Reads
By: Liam Ireland
Tags: Illumination, Writing, Christmas Reads, Yuletide Creativity, Short Stories And Poems

Photograph by Johnathon Borba on Unsplash

So, here we are with yet more great Christmas reads from some of our wonderful writers. It never ceases to amaze me what a deep well and wide variety of writing creativity were have here on Illumination. There have been so many different takes on the theme of Christmas, clearly showing that it means something very unique for everybody.

For me personally it is a time of happiness and joy, a time of good food and wine, but most of all, a time for family and friends to get together and rejoice in the lives that we are so fortunate to live.

Of course, the pandemic has put us all in an onerous position. However, the human spirit will always rise above anything that tries to restrict it, be it conflict, illness or loss. For me personally it has been a challenging year with a move to a new continent and a panoply of serious health issues. But I am happy to report that I am finally resolving those issues and look forward better days. I will not allow my past hard times to define my future.

For those of you who might be passing a difficult time please remember one thing, All Things Must Pass. With that I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Finally, please do have a read of the terrific contributions in volume one of this collection of Christmas related articles, stories and poems. And feel free to send me a link to your own efforts on this subject so that I can add to this post. Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to you all.

Aldric Chen

Kevin

Christine Graves

janny’s heart

Liam Ireland

Stuart Englander

Larry Nowicki

Eizza Misa

James Jordan
Cacophony
By: Denise G
Tags: Illumination, Poetry, Mysticism, Mythology, Spirituality

A Short Bio

An empath with newly discovered passion for writing. I find writing helps me release emotions that I carry, sometimes they are not even my own emotions, an emotional sponge so to speak. Creativity is where I find balance and release. I’m a long time photographer, mostly nature and travel photography and have recently started painting as well. I am in my renaissance, metamorphic stage or mother to crone transition in life.

I have a personal blog which contains some of my writing and photography.

Www.notafulldeck.com
Tall Horses
By: Jim Mcaulay
Tags: Illumination, High Heels, Horses, Humour, Jim Mcaulay

Who are you?

What are you doing in my dreams? Lynn Dorman, Ph.D.; J.D.

It’s 10pm. Do you know where your junk food is? R. Rangan PhD

As we move through life we are met with choices. If you move slowly, the choices are bountiful, and sometimes too many. Stuart Englander

Morita Therapy takes a radically different approach.

Rather than getting rid of problems, its focus is on building character so you can take action regardless of your symptoms, fears, emotions, wishes, or anything else that may be holding you back. Joe Hunt

night’s uncanny silence rages even

over sirens’ wailing; Holly Jahangiri
Random and Strange Photos of 2020
By: Adelia Ritchie
Tags: Illumination, Life, Gardening, Humor, Humorous Life Lessons

Random and Strange Photos of 2020

Image courtesy of author’s iPhone. Don’t ask.

One of the projects on my endless list of ways to waste a lot of time is to sort through about 42 million photos and delete the “bad” ones. That would take the count down a couple orders of magnitude if only I had time to do it. Oh, right, I guess I do have time these days, being safely sequestered from all those wine-infested hen parties and gala evenings out on the town.

No, wait, I live in the country on a farm. Here, when the hens do get out to par-TAY, I’m usually invited, but only if I bring a couple of handsful of desiccated worms for dessert. But hens will be hens, and none of them are talking about what happened this particular night.
Waiting
By: Lyndsey Frondarina
Tags: Anxiety, Illumination, Depression, Mental Health, Poetry

Photo by Paola Chaaya on Unsplash

Living my life

just waiting to die,

everyone always

asking why.

Constantly having

to explain

to people questioning

the severity of my pain.

Seeing the doubt

on their face,

as the judging

begins to take place.

Wondering if they can hear

the thoughts in my head

every time I wish

myself dead.

And even if they could,

would they even care?

people say they will, but in reality,

they won’t, always be there.
Good news. Editorial update. ILLUMINATION classic look is back.
By: Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Tags: Illumination, Writing, Business, Technology, Self Improvement

Good news. Editorial update. ILLUMINATION classic look is back.

Dear readers and writers,

After I sent the previous announcement of the situation, one of our editors with a strong technical background (Arthur G. Hernandez) resolved the situation.

This is great news for us.

Congratulations on getting our publication state back.

We still don’t know the root cause. However, we are happy with the outcome.

I will ask the Medium help-desk to close the case.

I wish you all the best.

Happy writing and reading.
Confinement
By: Patrick M. Ohana
Tags: Illumination, Haiku, AI, Confinement, Poetry

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A Strange Place
By: Adam Ray Cronk
Tags: World, Illumination, Storytelling, Poetry On Medium, Poetry

I heard a tale the other day,

curious to say the least,

of a kingdom where the ground’s above

and the clouds beneath your feet.

The rain floated upward

and the sun moved west to east,

while the fish flew through the air

and the birds swam through the seas!

Cats barked and dogs meowed

and all of them wore jeans,

because they walked and talked

and kept their human on a leash.

Where the snow felt too hot to touch

the flames would simply freeze,

winter started out the year

and ended with the spring breeze.

The clocks all spun backwards

and the people lived their dreams,

because at night the town would roar

while the day was meant for sleep.

But not all was oddly odd

because funnily to me,

the elephants would scare the mice

which seemed as it should be.

To call this place a little strange

would be to say the least,

but something feels familiar here,

something I’d like to see.
Editorial Announcement: Apologies for sudden and unexpected change that happened to ILLUMINATION…
By: Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Tags: Illumination, Writing, Business, Technology, Self Improvement

Editorial Announcement: Apologies for sudden and unexpected change that happened to ILLUMINATION in a few hours ago.

I received your messages and understood your concerns.

You don’t like this new design. And I don’t like it either. It doesn’t make sense, and the layout makes it very difficult for our readers to find stories. We lost navigation capability.

Distorted look of ILLUMINATION

This change happened beyond our control. We have no idea how it happened. I asked our editors, but no one has a clue.

I checked whether I could recover it as an owner, but there is no option.

I acknowledge your feedback. As many of you pointed out, it is terrible.

Probably it was caused by a bug.

As many of you suggested, I sent an urgent help request to Medium Help-desk. The case number is 577265. You don’t have to send more requests related to this issue.

We hope that Medium support team can help us recover our publication to the previous state as soon as possible.

Let’s be patient, please. Mistakes are inevitable in online platforms. I trust this situation can be resolved quickly by Medium support team, and we have the classic look of our publication shortly.

As you may remember a few months ago we lost our banner and Medium helped us recover it.

I keep my optimism for a timely resolution of this situation.

Thank you for your understanding.

At least our second and third publications are in normal format.

Good look of ILLUMINATION-Curated

Please enjoy our outstanding stories on ILLUMINATION Curated.

If you want to read technology related stories, we have an emerging collection now.

I sent an invitation to participate in Technology Hits.

Here is the link to Technology Hits.

How to connect with me

I established three significant publications supporting 6,500+ writers and serving 65,000+ readers on Medium. Join my publications requesting access here. You are welcome to join my 100K+ mailing list, to collaborate, enhance your network, receive technology and leadership newsletters reflecting my industry experience.

I am on ILLUMINATION Slack Workspace.

I use Linktree to share my social platforms.
Social Tractatus. A kind of half bittersweet and half…
By: Terry Trueman
Tags: Illumination

Social Tractatus

Portrait Image, (72 years ago or so) courtesy of author’s private pics

Family.

Friendships.

Dealing with strangers

and with people

once known and now

no longer known.

Is this social thing

a natural part

of every life

or is it more

a particular aspect

of each

individual’s life,

as in the differences

between the length of our fingers,

the direction of our fantasies,

the size of our minds?

I’ve always wanted

and needed

people

and always felt

the importance

of them in helping me

define who I am.

Image courtesy of Terry John Pratt, photographer

This now includes

people I’ve let go

who have also let go of me;

separations occurring

sometimes with acrimony

but more often just

through divergence in our lives

starting as a slow distance,

but eventually unbridgeable

both in time and in space

of growing apart

that finally becomes set.

The levels of affection and intimacy

once present in these relationships

make little difference

and have almost no impact on this

inviolable unfolding of loss.

2020 Portrait or author courtesy of Deborah Cole, photographer

So this poem

is a way of saying

to old friends

living and dead,

goodbye

and sorry

about the ways that this

kind of shit just happens.

*****************************************

Wikipedia & Encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Trueman

The poem Social Tractatus can be found in this collection:
Haiku Pfizer
Tags: Clinical Trials, Illumination, Coronavirus, Haiku, Vaccines

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
FATHER, BAPAK, BABA, ABI
By: Lusi Mardiyanti
Tags: Poem, Illumination, Fathers, Poetry On Medium, An Idea

FATHER, BAPAK, BABA, ABI

- A man with so many problems hidden behind his soft smiles and bright eyes

- A man with so many pains inside yet he choose to show to his children that the kindness would taking over

- A man with so many prides when his children obtained something remarkable

- A man who would watching over you in every decision you’ve made

- A man who scolds you and disciplines you,whenever you done bad things

- A man who will be there whenever you need him

- A man who would always have the words to help you, to calm you, and to teach how to face life briefly

- A man who would smile and hug you whenever you feel lonely and broken

- A man who could be a friend, best friend to his children

- A man who would awake all day when he heard something happened to you when you far away or near to him

- A man who has so much pure and true love for his children

- A man who always give you the best manner and teach you best things, he ever could provide to you

- A man who always be home to you

And lastly

A man who always be his daughter’s first love and his son’s hero
It’s All In The Fun
By: Janny S Heart
Tags: Illumination, Creativity, Poetry On Medium, Fun, Poetry

An Acrostic Poem

Photo by Braydon Anderson on Unsplash

The challenge isn’t always as easy as it seems

Hard makes it much more fun

Attack it with your heart, your soul, and mind

That will win you kudos every time

What’s that you say so quickly

Always up for a challenge entertainingly

Sitting on the sidelines won’t help you

Fortune always favors the bold

Unless you get in and give it your best shot

Never will you find your finest day as a poet
The Tree of Life
Tags: Illumination, Life, Death And Dying, Poetry, Trees

The Tree of Life

Photo by veeterzy on Unsplash

Sowed with care,

A delicate touch.

In the heart of the earth,

A special life was born.

Deep in the jungle

He was nurtured to life.

At his infantile stage

He was fragile and weak,

Prone to harsh winds

And predators that feed.

But he was destined to live

So the turmoils he overcame,

When the winds

Screamed and howled,

Threatening to end his life,

Fallen branches provided shelter,

As if an angel oversaw.

With time,

He could protect himself.

He grew to be

Tall and sturdy,

The mightiest of his kind.

Stretching to the heavens

At his peak, he saw the world.

He had love, inside his heart

You could tell

By how he spent his life,

He used his size

As a home,

From his massive trunks

To his unending branches,

Every bit of him

Was welcome to all.

Sheltering many animals

Both friend and foe,

He took no side

This much was true,

For supporting life

Was all he knew.

He lived for long,

Had seen many come and go,

But as time elapsed

He grew old and frail.

Once green with life,

His leaves decayed to rustling brown,

Even his branches

That were once so strong,

Started falling off.

At his old age

The years rewound,

He was back to where he began,

Frail and in need of care.

Sadly,

He was not lucky this time,

His angel had left him,

I guess his time had come.

Nonetheless, he was well at ease,

Only thing that bothered him

Was what will become of the many animals he housed.

Will they find a new home?

Would it be as welcoming?

How about food, would they starve?

What will become of them?

These are the worries he had,

Death is an inevitability,

What kept him up

Were thoughts about his legacy.

Maybe he did, all he could,

Taught the animals

All the skills they need,

To survive and thrive

In a dangerous world.

Nonetheless,

He still wondered

What would become of them.

A life well spent

He had accomplished a lot

But these were the thoughts

That stuck to him most.

As he took the trip

To his final resting place,

He chuckled and smiled,

Remembering his earlier days.

How an angel had protected

And watched over him.

He spoke a few words

To a being up above,

“Please send back your angel

To watch over what I left behind”.

Those were his final words,

He transitioned in peace

Back to where he came.

In the heart of the earth

Where he lies eternally.
We Anxiously Await You, Mr. Claus
By: Janny S Heart
Tags: Blue Insights, Illumination, Christmas, Poetry, Faith

Cause he knows we’re all anxiously waiting

Lights left on — twinkling red, green, white, and blue

Angst about 2020 will fall behind us

Urging us to be calm and have faith in 2021

Seriously Santa, we need you this year
JC Wandemberg Ph.D.
By: Jc Wandemberg Ph.D.
Tags: Pain, Life, Euthanasia, Suffering, Spirituality

If you think that life is about living without having to experience pain or suffering, you certainly came to the wrong universe.

I understand and commend people that feel very strongly about “leaving the world with dignity”. However, one must first understand what “leaving the world with dignity” really means. Does it mean to be able to decide how much pain or suffering am I able to put up with? Does it mean someone else should be able to choose my destiny since I am unable (e.g., in a vegetative state) or unwilling to decide?

Whatever it may be, the main issue seems to be centered on “suffering,” and “mercy.”

I have seen far too many movies where they pretend to show this act of killing as “merciful” by quickly putting at end to the suffering. In fact, they are just showing the need to put an end to the “unpleasant experience” of who are observing and need to move on. Instead of slowly and calmly contemplating the emotions of true love and compassion that emerge by caring for the one in pain and suffering, if only by empathizing.

Suffering and pain, thus, have been gravely misunderstood.

Many people associate it with “punishment,” which is understandable from a purely hedonistic perspective.

From a practical perspective, however, it is simply absurd.

Far too many people seem unable and/or unwilling to understand the meaning of pain and reject it without any thought.

Actually, it is human nature to reject suffering and pain.

One must comprehend, nevertheless, that pain and suffering have a much higher purpose than just making us feel miserable, i.e., are a blessing in disguise.

The purpose of pain and suffering may be linked to a story about a kite and its string. Pain and suffering are the adverse winds that blow and push the kite around but it is thanks to the string that keeps the kite connected to the ground what allows it to soar high and remain up in the sky.

If we cut the string, through euthanasia, the opportunity to soar over the mundane is gone.

Pain and suffering must be seen through the eyes of faith to understand that that pain and suffering afford us humans the opportunity to further develop our Spiritual Conscience and become more than mere mortals.

It is only through pain and suffering, i.e., being tied to the world, that we can grow not only physically, intellectually and emotionally, but much more importantly, Spiritually.

JC Wandemberg Ph.D.

About the author: Dr. Wandemberg is an international consultant, professor, and analyst of economic, environmental, social, managerial, marketing, and political issues. For the past 30 years Dr. Wandemberg has collaborated with corporations, communities, and organizations to integrate sustainability through self-transformation processes and Open Systems Design Principles, thus, catalyzing a Culture of Trust, Transparency, and Integrity.
Looking through a window
By: Christina Snow
Tags: Love, Pain, Self Love, Poetry

Looking through a window

Of what life has become

Not knowing the truth inside me

Don’t know what is real

Just want to see through my own eyes

Just want to stop living in third person

How do I find myself?

How do I deal with these demons?

This unholy pain?

All I can do

All I can feel

Is the numbness

Is everything all at once

All I know is I’m tired

I’m tired of not seeing things

I’m tired of forgetting

All I can see

Is everything I want to be

Is the hurt

Although I can’t see life through my own eyes

I know where I want to go

But I’m so scared

Scared of failure

Scared of not being good enough

I’m tired

Tired of crying

Tired of not feeling

Tired of all the pain

I know I’m strong

I know I’m me

But sometimes I forget

I forget and feel weak

I forget and feel tired

I’m looking through a mirror

I’m seeing the old me

But I don’t feel like the old me

I can’t stop the hurt

I can’t stop the tears

But I’m trying to learn

Learn who I am

Learn how to be the best me

I know I’m strong

I know I’m beautiful

Beautiful inside and out

I just don’t see it always

I don’t feel it very often

No matter how much I’m told

Told that I am
Scratching My Anxiety
By: Janny S Heart
Tags: Pain, Love, Writing, Poetry On Medium, Poetry

Clawing your way inside

Photo by Jacqueline Day on Unsplash

There it is again

That tone of voice

Scratching the anxiety in my belly

Fingers clawing at my innards

A baby’s shriek

An animal wounded calling out

Is it terror or pain or fear

I know it’s not excitement

You say it’s nothing

You say, “I’m not

Angry — Frustrated —

Sad — Depressed”

You say it’s me

What’s that ringing in my ears

Is it my imagination

I can’t seem to ignore it

In triggers demons deep inside

Childhood memories

Past relationships

Something internal I can’t turn off

It makes an impression

Calls out to the pit of my stomach

Will I learn to ignore it

Time after time
How to handle the pain of unrequited love?
Tags: Relationships, Pain, Love, One Sided Love, Failure

One-sided love hurts and it not only makes us lose focus but also hampers our physical and mental health.

A lot of people believe that one-sided love is selfless, powerful, and beautiful but is it so?

Research suggests that one-sided love can often originate from low self-esteem and it can even add up to the cause.

Here’s how you can handle the pain of unrequited love:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkKpJEqAx04
Only through education can we change people in a positive way
By: Zsolt Hermann
Tags: Pain, Suffering, Change, Crisis, Education

Question from the Internet:

“How do you change the mindset of an entire nation which is suffering economically?”

Suffering softens people like salt softens meat as wise sages write.

Then people open up for new ideas, changes they resisted before.

This is when the right, purposeful education — like skillful surgeon — can initiate, perform fundamental changes in people.

Today as a result of the pandemic, and the subsequent socioeconomic crisis — which will wipe out many things we used to take for granted, which crisis will remove all the unnecessary excesses, overproduction our previous life was based on — the whole Humanity will suffer from unemployment, insecurity, will become sensitized, open for such an education.

Then with the help of the right, suitable educational method we can “reprogram/upgrade” ourselves, making Humanity compatible with Nature’s laws that facilitate integration, with the Natural laws that sustain the balance and homeostasis life depends on.

Only education can create true, sustainable changes, without coercion, without misleading propaganda, by using positive motivation and positive examples to attract people to the unprecedented changes willingly.

https://youtu.be/yri_KzFywvo