fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
pumped lies
By: Chiagozie Enwelu
Tags: Love Letters, Marriage, Love, Fantasy, Life

pumped lies

Windows to her soul she left open

To any who was willingly to peep through

Jump in, and steal her aura.

Light she made out of tantamount situations

Flesh to flesh , soul to soul she parched

Her way through every encounter.

What was lost?

What was missing ?

What needed to be found ?

Desire, a filled void, friendship, sex, Providence or just plain curiosity that needed answers .

Slowly emotions heightened, logic left the room and feelings took hold.

Gradually answers echoed in her tiny head and loud sounds reverberate just too much

For her to be fine with just ‘ now’

The clouds thickened and light strokes of grey lights showed ominously

Jiggly tears brimmed in her large pupils

Then came torrents of Rainfall cascading down her

Large fluffy cheeks.

It has happened again, this time it’s intentional.

You feel pain she feels worse

No one deserves this madness

Temporary wash wash joy

Love, you called it, more like anguish

How dare you build something so sinister with pure emotions?

Are you mad’t?

Cursed be millennium

Cursed be May

and cursed be oshofree

Life was bliss before the shift

Much more simpler with chike’s album

There were no reminisces of night time drive

Or beef on paper, it was just a cruise on living .

Then came the villain in her perfect story

His Arsenal filled with weapons of the mind

Swiftly he gambled and played chess of traits and wit

Slowly she got in and the king took his seat regally on his throne of deceit.

Absolute power, absolute wealth , absolute rubbish drummed the deceitful sapien.

Her messiah was here, her king , her champion, her iniquity, her temporary

Peace, her caretaker before the caretaker was here or so she naively taught.

In every season she saw flashes of the rainbow, different colors stormed her gaze

Her forgotten artistry also manifested itself with this palette .

Then slowly it dawned

A she for a she

A her for a her

A wandering mind and an insatiable appetite he has , what becomes of her own pot

Of cooked melon, if the wind billows and sweet smell of okwa permeates the air ,

Sir will flee and soured melon shall be a situation.

No one will want a soured melon not the daddies of mbadiwe

Or the agile Amu’s of the south east.

There was a bridge, one long and tarred but this one can’t be crossed by her

Blood will flow and river Niger shall become dry.

OZoemena, not again , in this world or the next.

The cuff shall she respect

And his living shall she hold dear .

For the cain used on the first wife shall be used on the second,

Duty calls and he will flee into the arms of importance

Replaceable is your thrust worthy thighs

But indispensable is his built community .

Cheers to only those who understand times and season

Wit and gibberish

Emotions and action

Foreplay and cordial romance

Love And A bit of love sprinkled with fallacy.

She died again, this time she stays buried, not to rise again

Except for the loud knock of romeo’s hand

This one is one true death

Pumped lies killed the pipe.
Missing Us
By: Letters To My Wife
Tags: Love Letters, LGBTQ, Relationships, Love

Darling,

I miss you. You’re around 37 weeks pregnant! We are together all the time, whether you’re working on your conference paper, or we are cooking and cleaning, prepping for this baby. You are my partner in every sense. We work seamlessly together. As if you’re my left hand, my equal. It sometimes feels like you can read my mind, honestly. My life has never been so intimately, wonderfully entangled with another. I am utterly devoted to you now and infinitely in the future — not just as the mother of our children, but as the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. Creating our family has been one of the most profound experiences of my life. I can’t wait to meet our baby, and to meet us as parents. But waking up to you recalling your dreams from the night, seeing your hair curl out of your winter hat, the feeling of your arm linked with mine as we walk to the car, listening to you talk about your latest writing challenge…all the things I’ve started to appreciate more as your pregnancy and my injuries have temporarily changed a lot about how our bodies fit together, how much energy we have to dedicate to each other, how much time we have to really visit each other’s inner lives. It reminds me of all the ways I am still very much in love with you.

And I miss you. I miss us. Putting my dissertation on hold to care for you and the baby for the last stretch has made me realize how much we’ve had to carry, and what it takes to really put it all down. It made me realize that the amount of labor you’ve had to perform (while pregnant!) to get me through my injuries, relapses, and the job market probably had to stop much earlier. It has also given me enough of an emotional reserve to get a clearer sense of our lives beyond the logistics of work, the home, and preparations. And there isn’t much of us beyond that these days, it feels. Really, it feels stupid and selfish to miss you. What more could you possibly give to us? We have the luxury of spending our days and nights together all the time. Our baby needs our focus right now, and we are happy to give our baby everything we have and know. But here it is, a longing, an ache, a memory of you that keeps me awake. I am not sure what distinguishes this partnership we’ve developed from what I miss of us before. Maybe it is the feeling/knowledge of having all the time we need and infinite things yet to discover about each other. That’s what it felt like when I first fell in love with you. When it was just us, it felt light like forever, endless, free. I still feel like there are so many things I want to learn about you. But it doesn’t feel like there is enough time now. Now that we are starting a family, every moment feels weighted with ephemera, the pressure of making it count, the worry of not being able to reach deep enough. Is there ever going to be enough time?

This is not me asking for more. This is me promising to always find you again and again, through eager eyes, with more patience, and maybe, now, with a little one to help.

Love,

LtmW
Reading this you would think this is about fighting for love.
By: Manuella M
Tags: Love Letters, Demons, Letting Go, Breakups, Love

I hurts to say goodbye to a person you love knowing life won’t be the same without him. But better give up rather than to fight knowing that you are the only one fighting.

Reading this you would think this is about fighting for love. You would think somebody is crying for attention of their loved one, but brutally gets ignored.

In fact this is about another person. Somebody who is trying to fight herself, because she is no good for her beloved one. Somebody who’s trying to escape to her own demons. The ones who keep hurting him and will maybe eventually betray him. She’s fighting her deepest feeling to hold on. She needs to let him go, no matter how bad the future without him seems. Because sometimes holding on does more damage than letting go.

Eventually she left.

Because she wanted to save him from her worst side.

Because hurting him, would be harder to accept than leaving him.

But see! This is the paradox, because when she left, she hurt him. Even worse: helplessly he stayed behind. Devastated. Not understanding why she left.
Love Letters (2/31)
Tags: Poetry, Tza, Love Letters, Love Poems

Love Letters (2/31)

I traced another name on our sheets

Every time I took you back

& eventually

I ran out of room to sleep comfortably

They stood in my way

Every time

I went to the bathroom to search for the reflection of my confidence

The smell of your apologies on the roses

Choked me into silence

Have you ever loved a broken thing?

So much,

That you too

Wanted to be broken

i was Waiting for you to see me

Worthy of your respect

But on the edge of our bed

I constantly engaged with neglect

I can still feel the faint heartbeat of our unborn child in my neck

Is that when you stopped loving me?

When the walls of my womb could only accept emptiness and regret

Or vacuums and antibiotics

Did you vow to keep me void?

Knowing that I said no to her and yes to you

After you played with me like a toy

No wonder

I don’t function the same anymore

Or command

That your respect\

Weighed heavier then the sheets on this bed

Or the voice whispering for me to stay in my head

In my dreams

I picture you getting bored with the games you play

And finding shade under my unwavering love

And choose to stay

But new and shiny things always distract you

And I am merely your giving tree

That you continuously come back to

Only for you to take pieces of myself when you leave

Until I am a hollow stomp and the last thing that you see

I cant remember the exact moment

When i shattered into a million pieces

the first time

But I anticipate

you putting me together

only for you to accidently drop me

Humpy Dumty’in

Truth is

I stay

Because I want to be the last thing that you need

When in reality

You

Are the last thing

That I need

Like acceptance

When I learn how to forgive myself

For all of my mistakes

And I find my beautiful

In its lost place

I pray that she opens her arms to me

And ask me what took me so long

And I will tell her

I’ve been busy watering roses that died a long time ago

to revive the noise of that faint heartbeat

I was searched for something in you and got lost

Because the entire time it’s been in me

When I stopped

Tracing the names on our sheets

I got my own bed

& finally

Finally

I slept comfortably
ArtRock Air News! 2/12/2020
By: Mimi Bordeaux
Tags: Artrock, News, Love Letters, Writers On Writing

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

Hello people and salut! Lots has been happening including not one but two entries to the prompt ‘Fangs like Dracula’; Amanda Dalmas and moi, Mimi Bordeaux, your editor and writer for this lovely super publication, ArtRock!

So how has everyone been? All well and thriving I hope. J.D. Harms continues to astonish with his incredible output daily all written with his passionate plea of love-filled angst witnessed in various publications here on Medium.com. Good job sweetpea! Stephen Ray Brown is hanging in with his humility; spilling sweet pourings of insecurity in this writing thing we do. Young, fiery Amanda Dalmas thrives with Her concerns on religion, lust and forgiveness. Good going Mandy! (sorry!) So what other news have we? Medium.com continues to develop its formatting confusing folk more than enlightening. I’m not sure exactly what but hoping an explanation soon!

Some of my favorite writers currently are: Gurpreet Dhariwal, Ms. Part Time Wino, Dennett and more! Please please me! Yeah.. (sing in background)..

So I will say au revoir and ciao for now. Good work everyone and stay healthy. Cheers, Mimi Bordeaux Editor, Writer of ArtRock, a publication.
Pinned to Time. (Alternate title: “Thoughts Condensed…
By: Harvest Moon
Tags: Love Letters, Poetry, Emo, Romance, Love

(Alternate title: “Thoughts Condensed From the Half a Second Before She Walks Out The Door”)

Time, slow down

So I won’t have to leave her

To wrestle through frozen moments

And words of recollections to retrieve her

My soul feels sparked

When I see her cherubical nature

Arise from a glance

Or our silly nomenclature

Please take your time

Ticking around the edges

Fix yourself a cup of tea

Put on some sneakers and trim the hedges

Anything you can do to distract yourself

I’d greatly appreciate the effort

While there’s still a bit of you left

Hell, go out and try on a new skirt

Just delay the inevitable

Because I know it’s coming regardless

But I need more time

Before I have to face life the hardest

You see, I know you wouldn’t understand

Because you can’t see it through my eyes

So I’ll do my best to convince you

Is it really any surprise?

She’s like a crispy Fall wind

That arrives out of season in the heat of day

Something cozy, lovely, seraphic,

Bewitching, mysterious, and something words can’t say

I just love her, plain and simple

Does it have to be more complicated than that

For you to slow your pace

From four-minute miles flat?

Can’t you see it in my eyes

As I ask you, truly, sincerely,

To please slow down

So I can love her a few more minutes dearly?
A Love Letter To My Second Love
By: Little Miss Vixen
Tags: Second Love, Love Letters, Life

When I thought I couldn’t love anyone anymore, there you were sitting across the table with your irresistible smile.

When I thought I’ve had hit rock bottom, there you were reassuring me that things will going to be ok.

When I thought you hated me for everything I did, there you were comforting me with open arms.

When I thought of things that I shouldn’t be thinking about, there you were distracting me from my negative thoughts.

Those are the reasons why I fall in love with you. I fall madly in love with you.

I don’t know what we are.

I don’t know if it’s healthy to carry on my feelings for you.

I know I should’ve stopped.

But every time I ponder about it, I owe you so many things.

You taught me how to love again; you taught me how to be patient; you taught me that I have to broaden my perspective on life; you taught me to not be dependent on you; you taught me to stand on my own; you make me believe that I’m still capable of loving.

And that’s why I love you until now.

You loved me when I was a mess; you loved me when I’ve got no direction; you loved me at my worst; and yet, you never seemed to give up on me.

I’m leaving in a couple of months. I’m going to encounter things I’ve never encountered before. I’ve never lived so far away from my parents.

Part of me really wants to stay, but the other part of me is saying there’s nothing left for me in here. I know I have to live outside of my comfort zone. But then again, I don’t know how to not having you around.

I just hope that one day, I will love someone and care for someone like I did to you.

And when that day comes, I will always carry the lesson I got from you — to love someone regardless what a mess he could be, and still deserved to be loved.

And when I finally get to meet the right person, I will do everything in my power to make him feel as comfortable, as safe, and as loved.

Thanks to you.
HOW MANY TIMES CAN YOU ACCEPT REJECTION? (PART II)
By: Marcus Austin
Tags: Law Of Attraction, Perseverance, Values, God, Acceptance

The amazing impact that rejection causes affects one’s ability to access their highest understanding of information, application, and also effective communication. The lower frequency of doubt, frustration, and stress keeps a block to a higher sense knowing the greatness which is available when the right mindset, sentiments, and movement are aligned. The aspects of what we deal with inside of our deepest parts of our heart and soul also connects and lives not singularly, but communal to others alike. Similarly, the impressions that flow are a two way process.

What happens with our relationships within are present in our interrelation without? The changes necessary to overcome or readjust then sets off a seeking and knowing. One of Shakespear’s most well known plays, “Hamlet” it states, “This above all:to thine own self be true.” However, how do we create a true self and deeper absorption of the depth of our value when it is replaced by deception, societal definitions of worth, and flawed expectations of what is success or failure?

Click below link to receive complimentary printable from initial purchase of CCEL Art & Design Store by sending contact name, email address, and contact number to mjabizgrowth@gmail.com
HOW MANY TIMES CAN YOU ACCEPT REJECTION? (PART I)
By: Marcus Austin
Tags: Law Of Attraction, Approval, Love, Acceptance, Embracing Yourself

Having persistence is the drive to move forward irregardless of contrasting energy, events, people, and circumstances. The rejection of acceptance can be shown in a variety of ways, even as a child until the maturation of adulthood. Apart of this reality is how many times a person hears the emotion and vocal affirmation of the word “no”. As social beings the feeling of acceptance means love, approval, and embrace.

In experiencing the social byproducts of pain, it is more vivid and alive at a vibration level than even a physical manifestation of this emotion. The echo of our management of this feeling replicates within us over and over again when we do not notice and take action to address it. In being at times a tribal creation force, the necessary supportive resources is sought and desires for the energy of exchange. The perceived existential threat turns into fear, stress, and anxiety which replays within the nervous system. When one accepts this state of thought, emotion, and action, the repetitive events or occurrences carry a continual underlying lack of connection. What we look to accomplish is not what we attract. It is actually who we are within the energy we radiate to others and the world becomes the consequence of our circumstances.

Click below link to receive complimentary printable from initial purchase of CCEL Art & Design Store by sending contact name, email address, and contact number to mjabizgrowth@gmail.com
Did I Become a Slave?
By: Ashwini Rao Holla
Tags: Introspection, Poetrys Home, Reflections, Self-awareness, Acceptance

Did I Become a Slave?

Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash

Did I become a slave?

To the constant need for attention…

To the anxiety and growing tension!

To the negative emotion,

Which fosters in itself a set of deeper notions.

A slave of self doubts,

Forgetting all the quotes taught.

A slave of self pity,

Hoarding empty praises… I’m so guilty!

Did I become a slave?

Did my situation become so grave?

Hold on a minute, said a soft inner voice…

You still have a chance to come out brave.

First step is to not accept,

“You can’t do this, you seem a little fat.”

Start affirmations and stop saying that.

Accept that you need to catch your breath,

Please don’t burn out to the brink of death!

Accept that you will be flooded with emotions,

Head and heart will be struggling to set things in motion.

You may feel like you’re cemented to the floor,

Just take deep breaths and walk towards the door.

Take baby steps to freedom,

With acceptance and loving yourself more.

If you think you can’t walk to the door yet, how about me showing a window?

Pick up the pen and paper… write whatever makes you wonder.

It will start with cries and anger,

Slowly turning into a heartfelt hunger…

A hunger to be heard,

A hunger to express..

Pour it all out my dear,

Whether it’s joy or sadness!

Let the head and heart fight it over,

Eventually, you’d realise it will get merged over…

Just like two rivers meeting the Blue sea,

Go with the flow and trust the Almighty!

Keep smiling always ❤️
Adopting Happiness
By: Swati Bajpai
Tags: Culture, Acceptance, Adoption, Love

Adopting Happiness

Swati Bajpai, LCSW

While shopping at Michaels for knitting yarn, I was approached by an excited middle aged woman who inquired if I could help her choose prints of fabric for making panels of curtains. “Are you from India? I am adopting a baby girl from India and decorating her room. Do you think I should get elephant printed fabric so that she feels at home. I have decorated the entire room with the India theme.”

I asked if this is her first child to which she nodded in affirmation. Being almost a veteran in motherhood after raising two boys, I assured her that the baby would not notice anything besides her love and care which I could see was overflowing. She told me that she was adopting the baby from an orphanage. “Doesn’t she look adorable?” she asked as she showed the pictures of the child on her phone. Her excitement was contagious and I ended up giving her some tips as she was insistent that she would like the child growing up and knowing her Indian roots.

This chance meeting and another documentary that I had seen about a generation of Chinese girls being adopted by American families due to one child policy of China, got me thinking.

How easily we discard our girls? How come I have not witnessed this kind of enthusiasm and acceptance while giving everything to an adopted child in my countrymen. Adopting is rare unless within the family. Even if the children are adopted, all efforts are made to keep them unaware of their origins and if they do inquire it’s taken as a betrayal of the favor done to them ie providing a home to their abandoned selves. I know of a family in India where a child was adopted. The parents tried their best to give a stable environment but the taunts and jibes of the relatives resulted in a broken individual, constantly searching for moorings.

While here I meet many people who offer their home and hearts with complete abandonment to the children who they know will grow up looking very much, unlike them.

The reality of their origins is not kept hidden while they are accepted with the knowledge and encouragement that they will make efforts to know their roots. Many empty nesters adopt children too as they feel that even though their own kids have flown away, there are many with whom they can share their blessings of a home and love.

“I have borrowed this child from destiny to bring me fulfillment,” the lady at the store had told me. She had no desire to own the child.

Picture: pixabay.com
Are you in a relationship yet feel like you aren't in one?
By: Rajeshwari R
Tags: Lonely, Broken Heart, Acceptance, Love Hurts

Are you in a relationship yet feel like you aren't in one?

You are dating and yet lonely? your social media account says you are in a relationship yet you remain alone in reality? you show off as if you are filled with joy, when in reality you are nothing but a person who is void, broken and depressed? what to do at that time? is there a way through which your heart will accept the fact that the relationship is long dead and you are just adding salt to the bleeding wound?

Falling in love is a wonderful thing, a beautiful emotion that is spoken between the two souls involved, staying in love is yet another challenge, but the fruits reaped would be the juiciest of it all, but the feeling of being left alone? how do we accept it then? even after giving your everything and wanting nothing but his/her happiness you are left alone. This just hurts, so how do we overcome this feel of unworthiness attached to ourselves?

Why is this relationship making you feel as if you are not enough?

May be you needed a companion and not a lover, and jumped straight into the relationship with no second thoughts You were so blinded by this person that you failed to see his/her real colors? No mutual effort, its always you doing the things and not the other way round. The relationship never really existed and you are not willing to give up on your hopeful heart that one day he/she will come back to you. you are constantly engulfed by the feelings of guilt, confusions, anxieties, and significant low self-esteem,

Now that you know this is what you are feeling how do you overcome such derailing thoughts?

Accept it: sometimes embracing the taunting truth is the only go to chance we have at self redemption. Don’t fake it till you make it: contrary to popular belief, faking till you feel it’s real is absolutely going to turn the predicament obtuse. Instead learn to let go of the optimistic thought, and see the reality, it’s hard yes, not utterly impossible though. Take a break from toxicity for a while. let nature take its stride till then try to see what you are as a person, learn to grow with self-love and then I assure you, you will find a better You.

always remember,

its your happiness that matters the most.
Stop the commentary inside. Create a foundational energy of acceptance.
Tags: Thoughts And Insight, Positive Energy, Mindset, Mindset Shift, Acceptance

How does he look like, how does he speak? Such kinds of thoughts keep coming in our mind. We keep running the commentary inside. And these vibrations of doubts are emanated directly to the person. Situations would not be your way. They would not be in your control either. But you don’t have to get angry. And you don’t have to pretend, either. All you have to do is to stop running the commentary inside. The moment you stop your commentary, the vibrations get changed. It creates an atmosphere of acceptance. Create foundational energy of acceptance.

Are you happy with yourself? Is your inner energy calm? Does your chatter continue all day? Do you talk non-stop inside your head? Is the talk inside your head a talk of acceptance? You may be uttering sweet words and have wonderful gestures, but only you know what is the conversation you’re having inside you.

There is no effort required to be loving. There is no effort required to accept the other person. All one has to work is on the quality of the thought. If the quality of thought is poor, then you damage your own happiness. Each thought creates a chain of many other thoughts.

There are always two thoughts parallelly running in your head. One thought, which is the thought of acceptance. The other is thought of, let’s say rejection. And these thoughts are basically a part of your true nature.

So, these two thoughts are trying to oppose each other. One thought says to act and the other thought may say, to not act. One thought could be a loving thought other could be thought of hatred. These parallel thoughts which negate each other are the tendency of a human mind.

One thought could be thought of jealousy, the other could be thought of appreciation. On a daily basis, try to practice correcting your thought. A thought which is more loving in nature. A thought which is more accepting in nature. By practicing this, you will see a shift in the quality of your thoughts, and thereby, you will be able to create more happiness. This shift will stop blocking your own happiness.

So, maintain awareness of the quality of your thoughts the whole day. You have always two choices to make inside you. A choice of an angel or a choice of a devil inside you. What would you like to choose? And this choice determines the quality of your life. And it also brings more happiness and more peace within.
until those holes are part of the wholeness
By: Hue Hanh
Tags: Wholeness, Acceptance, Poem

what if wholeness

was not that whole at all

what if it was full of many unfilled holes

what if embracing wholeness was

to feel the holes

what if instead of running away, one attempts to go through to the other side of emptiness

what if when your loved ones, praises, beautiful big words and many many things are willing to help you to fill it up

you just don’t

not forever, but at least temporarily

what was filling you wasn’t really you

praises don’t make your self-worth, and blames don’t take it away

what if you allowed yourself to feel the holes, at least once

go deeper, deeper and deeper

until those holes are part of the wholeness

Do you fear that if you get close

it will swallow you up?

Go near it, and sit

with an empty space

feel it, and wait

for an unseen essence to emerge

to eliminate the holes

How long will it take, you wonder?

Oh, when the holes are felt thoroughly,

you would be free

to love…

when you discover the unseen holes

your heart will also see an unseen wholeness.

Befriend with the holes like Chihiro befriending No-face. Spirited away.
Processing negative emotions
By: Daniela Leung
Tags: Acceptance, Feelings, Sadness, Pyschology

Society always tells us to “be happy”. Marketing is targeted towards buying products that make you happy. The house were you will grow the so perfect family, the shampoo that will make your hair the brightest and longest, the pills that will help you be fit and loose fat…

But, when do we speak about the hard, deep, and profound emotions that we do feel?

How often do we say “I’m having a hard time”?

I was born and raised in a structured and Asian cultured family —I was not allowed to cry, not allowed to feel, not allowed to be angry and scream , and sometimes I was even asked why I was so happy about anything—

First of firsts, it is ok to feel your emotions.

Here is a list of emotions that we’ll normally classify as negative, in case you are having a hard time figuring out what your are feeling:

Anger. Jealousy. Sadness. Frustration. Doubt Envy. Guilt. Fear. Shame. Grief. Despair. Regret. Anxiety. Disgust. Anger. Indifference. Boredom. Disappointment. Stress.

Again, it’s perfectly normal to feel all of the above.

And when you feel them, it’s perfectly normal that you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Everything starts at recognizing that something is going on, and find acceptance in it.

While in crisis, try to focus on your breathing. It will help you navigate the ocean of emotions going through your mind and body.

After this, writing in paper possible reasons for feeling how I’m feeling helps me understand the dimension of the situation.

And next to each possible reason, try to dig deeper. Is there something I can do about this? Is there is someone I can talk about this? Who are part of my emotional-support net?

There is not a perfect solution, not a roadmap or an action plan to help you process.

The first step, accepting, is the big door to understand the purpose of your emotions.
Why pain is a blessing and the freedom lies in embracing it
By: Manish Jain
Tags: Salvation, Life Lessons, Pain, Suffering, Acceptance

Image credited to ancient origin

He asked how are you, a gentle smile on his face,

Wanting to walk by my side, innocence of his face radiates.

Dismayed at his brevity, stillness takes over me,

Looking at him talking, what have I done to deserve thee.

Do not be afraid, I am here to give you my love,

Come talk to me, SHE has sent me from above.

Drops of sweat on my forehead, hint of tears in my eye,

My heart is going to stop, I am about to die.

Sensing my confusion, he said I am your teacher,

Accept me, learn from me, and you will be better.

My mind is in rebellion, my heart is confused,

My body is shaking, I am still standing there bemused.

I am here with you now, you have no choice,

Trust me you need me, he said with a firm voice.

I looked with suspicion, it did not make any sense,

Then I found courage, and embraced its presence.

Who has not experienced pain? It goes by many names. Suffering, agony, hurt, depression, despair, hopelessness, misery. As well as guilt, shame, loneliness, embarrassment, humiliation and remorse.

Would any of us have wanted it in our life? Probably not. But it is there. Everyone goes through it. Some more than the others. Knowing fully well that its part of life, still we struggle. Wishing it away forever.

Why do we all have to go through it?

Is it a punishment that we get because we have done something bad. May be in past life?

Or it is there to make us truly appreciate the life that would be without it.

Or may be someone up there is just toying with us.

I believe that we go through pain because we need to. And it does not need to be understood, only accepted. Acceptance is only way out of it. It is not easy but it is possible with a little faith and some patience.

There is an old saying that goes by “Whatever happens, it happens for good”.

And its true. It is another thing that the understanding of “good” generally comes later.

Fighting it will not help, it will destroy us. Trying to make sense of it will not help, it will leave us miserable.

Freedom from it lies in accepting it. And when it goes away, we find ourselves at a different level of frequency.

We understand things better. We appreciate things better. And not just within. The emotional catharsis brings a profound change in the way we live. It improves our chances towards fulfilling our potential and meeting our goals in life. It puts us in a very unique position where we can chose to share what we have gone through and help others.

Suffering liberates us. It gives us freedom. Freedom to understand, to let go, to enjoy, to help, to love.

It destroys our false sense of ego and bring forward our vulnerabilities out in the open.

It makes us human !!
The Cold Within
By: Ali Jan
Tags: Tolerance, Brotherhood, Discrimination, Peace, Acceptance

Six humans trapped by happenstance, in bleak and bitter cold,

Each one possessed a stick of wood, or so the story’s told.

Their dying fire in need of logs, the first man held his back,

For of the faces ‘round the fire, he noticed one was black.

The next man looking ‘cross the way saw one not of his church,

And couldn’t bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch.

The third one sat in tattered clothes, he gave his coat a hitch,

Why should his log be put to use to warm the idle rich?

The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store,

And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor.

The black man’s face bespoke revenge as the fire passed from sight,

For all he saw in his stick of wood was chance to spite the white.

The last man of this forlorn group did naught except for gain,

Giving only to those who gave was how he played game.

Their logs held tight in death’s still hand was proof of human sin,

They didn’t die from the cold without — they died from the cold within.
Acceptance
By: Batrisyia Ain
Tags: Change, Acceptance, Friendship, Life Lessons

by Albert Barroso

Sifting through my ‘treasure chest’, — a silver-ribboned red one of memories I’ve kept for years and years and years — I come across a smaller wooden box. I open it and out come spilling out folded paper of various sizes crammed to fit. Letters. Letters written to me during my high school years from my peers, dating as early as 2011. This practice of letter-writing started way before that, but I did not have the foresight to keep them; although at least I kept a journal back then. But that’s a story for another day. These letters are largely from when I was in Secondary 3 ’til 5… ah, those days the drama was alive.

I read them one by one and in my mind, I’ve reversed time. These letters outline the time when we’d write to each other asking the one, vital question we were all curious about at the age of sixteen: “Who do you have a crush on?” Oh, how innocent were we then. I also find a couple of papers I wrote to myself; so-called journal entries. They tell me about a relationship between a boy and a girl, best friends as if nothing else mattered. I write, “I know we won’t be together forever, but I don’t want to lose him as a best friend.” We stopped being best friends after… but I could still call him a friend. 8 years and a final ‘fight’ later though, Eric and I’s friendship is at an end. Let’s just say that egos played a big part.

Other things in my treasure chest catch my attention. A Pokémon notebook never used, a bookmark of the Tokyo Tower still in its packaging, many other trinkets from all over the world kept pristine. Little things from places travelled to that made Michael think of me. A friend I thought of precious; one of those people who you’d trust with everything and rely on to relieve the sting of anything. One who would tell me his weirdest dreams and not worry about me judging. For 13 years.

Back in February, a newfound soul sister and I decided to create prompts for ourselves to help force us to write something each month. February’s prompt was “Replying to An Old Piece of Writing From When You Were Younger”. I dedicated mine to Michael. I replied to an old piece I wrote (slightly exaggerated for rhyme):
What is it?
By: Manu M Johnson
Tags: Interpretation, Understanding, Philosophy, Life Lessons, Acceptance

People really love to think that everyone thinks alike. For instance, I would love it if people agreed to what I just said. Sometimes it is obviously good when people agree with you, since that means you are probably saying stuff which is not utter shit. But sometimes, it is not so simple. I mean, everyone agreeing that the Sun is at the centre of the solar system is different from everyone agreeing that blue is the best colour out there.

Take this figure for example. What is it? A circle, a broken circle, a series of curves, a bending ray, a CD or even a dragon curving around? If I said circle and someone said dragon, who is right? Is anyone right? Obviously, I would say that I am right. After all, how can I be wrong when the circle is clearly visible to me. So, I will argue for my side and try to make the other person see my way – circle, not dragon my friend.

Sounds vaguely familiar I am sure.

After a lot of shouting, swearing, blows and some really unpleasant things, chances are nothing has changed – I just cannot seem to force the person to think that it is not a dragon.

So maybe, this isn’t the way. Maybe what I can do is quite simple – maybe just realise that neither one is right nor wrong, and instead tilt my head a teensy bit.

Now, chances are, I will probably get to see a dragon as well.
One Thing on Which We Can Agree
By: Done With Religion
Tags: Bible, Acceptance, Christian Living, Religion

by Jim Gordon

Is it me, or do you find that some of the teachings we have grown up with in modern day religion may be wrong? It could be a simple misinterpretation or it could be people purposefully trying to force others into their way of thinking.

Do you ever grow tired of reading all the different views and opinions, interpretations and doctrines? Do you get aggravated when people argue over their beliefs, yet God has told us to love one another?

It can get pretty discouraging seeing all the postings on Facebook and other social media where people argue, and sometimes heatedly, over their views and interpretations. Sometimes they are basic views we have grown up accepting as gospel truth, yet now we question whether they are gospel or man’s wrong interpretation.

No matter how you interpret the scriptures, no matter how much you believe your way of thinking on spiritual matters, someone else will have a completely different view. Even those who are followers of Christ cannot agree on everything. We all have a different view on the bible and spiritual matters.

I wonder why we cannot accept each other no matter what our interpretation. Truthfully, none of us can prove most of what we believe, whether it is faith in God, heaven, hell, satan and a number of other topics. It is all by faith that we believe what we believe. We cannot prove or disprove anything.

I think we should ask the Spirit daily for His guidance into truth. Hold to what you believe, but be open enough to change when God (not some other person) gives a clearer view of the truth. When someone has a different way of looking at things, accept them. You do not have to agree with them. Who knows, they might be right. Friendly discussion of each others views can be helpful.

I do not think any of us can say without a doubt who is completely right or wrong in our interpretations. We should seek God for truth through the Spirit and let everyone have their right to do the same. Quit fighting and arguing over who is right and who is wrong.

We should remember that unity comes only in Christ. It is not through religion, doctrines, denominations or bible versions but through Christ alone. Unity through Christ looks beyond religion, doctrines, denominations, race, sexual orientation and nationality.

God is love and he lives within us. By allowing his love to flow out of us we can look beyond our differences and accept one another even when we disagree.

One thought comes to mind in all this, ‘Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so’. The most basic and simple song we learned long ago seems to be the one thing on which we can all agree.
This is why you should stop trying to be happy all the time
Tags: Self Improvement, Positive Thinking, Life Lessons, Acceptance, Beyourself

A while back I watched ‘The Secret’, a film that is based on the theory of the ‘Law of Attraction’. This film claims that with our thoughts, our energy and our actions – we can basically create our own reality.

Now, this film absolutely changed my life. It made me realise just how negative my thought patterns were – I wanted so badly for my life to be different but my negative attitude and subconscious thoughts were holding me back.

I worked so hard on changing my mindset and to a degree it worked, things actually started to turn around.

But, the trouble was I had come to believe so strongly in this theory that I was absolutely petrified to admit when I was unhappy.

Every so often something would trip me up – my mindset would falter and instead of dealing with it, I would ignore it telling myself it would go away.

Instead of facing reality and accepting my situations, I slapped on a fake smile and pretended to the world (and myself) that I was ‘a-ok’.

I told myself I was being positive, that I was choosing to ignore the bad and focus on the good but it wasn’t positivity, it was ignorance.

All I was doing was suppressing my emotions, so not only was I unhappy but I was unhappy with a ticking time bomb of emotions inside of me.

I wasn’t moving forward, no matter how much I wanted to – I was stuck.

Because, I was forgetting a crucial step in the theory. Yes, the ‘Law of Attraction’ is based upon the idea that you can create your reality, but for that reality to come into existence, I needed to let go of my need for control.

I had to let the universe do its work.

I was holding on to my need for happiness so tightly, that I was actually standing in my own way.

I had to loosen my grip.

It was the want itself that was making me miserable, not the fact that I didn’t have the things I wanted. I had to let go of that want.

I had to learn acceptance.
SAVING YOURSELF. We assume that everyone sees life the…
By: Lee Mainprize
Tags: Life Lessons, Mindset, Inner Peace, Acceptance, Happiness

We assume that everyone sees life the way we do

Think the way we think

Feel the way we feel

Judge the way we judge

This is our biggest mistake

This is why we fear showing our true selves

Wearing a mask

Live using filters

Creating the appearance of what we think people want to see to accept us

So we can feel worthy

Living up to societies ideals

We think the answer might be making more money

It might be success

It might be being popular

But when we have these things we realise we are still empty

We have a fear of being ourselves because we think everyone will judge us

Victimize us

Abuse us

Blame us

As we do to ourselves

So before others have a chance to reject us

We have already rejected ourselves

This is the way we have been conditioned to think

Being free to be yourself

Accepting your self exactly as you are

Including your imperfections

Is the only way to be free

You can’t love others if you don’t love yourself

This is the work

This is liberation

This is peace

The end of suffering

and more
Thoughts for Ayden #1 (Diversity)
By: Charles Andreo
Tags: Diversity, Tolerance, Humanity, Inclusion, Acceptance

Dear Ayden,

When you were born (just 1 day ago), people from all over the world welcomed you to our lovely planet Earth.

We ALL are HUMAN.

Argentina, Canada, South Africa, Morocco, Iceland, Kenya, Finland, Portugal, Belgium, Estonia, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey, Emirates, Brazil, India, Russia, USA, Israel, China, Philippines, Germany, Armenia, Japan, Australia, France, New Zealand… and many, many more.

Mama and papa had the chance and privilege to travel around the world, making many friends along the way. Our friends come in all shapes, sizes, colours, cultures and beliefs. And we love them for what they are: human.

Some humans are afraid of others who look, think and act different. They might try to convince you to love only those who are similar to you.

I hope you will soon notice that the best things in life are a result of humans from different places and backgrounds coming together to invent, create, think, build and share with each other.

We are all better in a world that brings us closer together, not further apart.
Effie’s Ideal Birth | Smile Train
By: Smile Train
Tags: Parenting, Birth, Cleft Lip, Philippines, Acceptance

During Effie Saling’s pregnancy, she daydreamed of all the ways her child would change her life, and in her mind, she was prepared for any challenge that motherhood could bring. However, when she learned that her son, Aeroshee, had been born with a cleft lip and palate, she broke down crying and questioned her entire belief system — this wasn’t motherhood as she imagined it.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before Effie put Aeroshee’s birth in perspective — she had the son she’d prayed for, and mourning some idealized version of motherhood wasn’t helping anyone. Aeroshee would need her to be strong, so feelings of grief and regret were replaced by thankfulness and resolve.

Effie’s positive attitude was immediately tested when she took Aeroshee home and his severe cleft palate made breastfeeding impossible. When she tried bottle feeding with a popular and affordable soy-based formula, Aeroshee became ill and lost weight (she later learned that he was allergic to soy). So, with no other feeding options available, Effie was forced to buy expensive baby formula that the family couldn’t afford. “There were times when my husband and I wouldn’t eat, just so we could afford the milk for our baby,” she recalls.

Over the following months, Effie kept faith that Aeroshee would get the help he needed. That day finally came when a local hospital connected her with Smile Train’s local partner, the Maharlika Charity Foundation. Effie took a bus to the hospital, and the long-awaited surgery was scheduled.

A few short weeks later, Aeroshee received his cleft-lip surgery. Effie described the immediate effects: “He used to cry all the time, but, after his surgery, he became a happy baby.”

Then Aeroshee went on to receive a Smile Train-supported cleft palate surgery, which further improved his health and confidence.

A few years later, when Aeroshee started school, some of the children at school bullied him for the way he talked — he especially struggled to enunciate words in Bisaya, the conversational dialect in his neighborhood and school.

Knowing her son needed help, Effie went once again to the Maharlika Charity Foundation, which taught her how to give speech treatments at home. The two practice speech in three languages (English, Filipino, and Bisaya) every day, with Effie monitoring Aeroshee’s diction and pronunciation.

Effie reports that her son’s speech has improved and that he tackles every challenge in his way. Today, Aeroshee is a friendly and outgoing young man who loves running around and pretending to be superheroes with his group of friends — living exactly the life that Effie dreamed of years ago.

If you would like to help us enable forever smiles and second chances at life for children like Aeroshee and help mothers like Effie provide a better life for their children, please make a gift today.

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