The Way I See It

I often find myself

staring out a window

as if I am searching

for whatever is drawing me…

something greater

than myself.

It is morning

in the gray dead of fall

like a picture-perfect postcard

displaying my feelings.

Nature, killing me softly.

People are dying!

and it is getting harder

to find the beauty

when death isn’t enough

to make souls care.

When flags flown at half-mast

have become the norm.

When the news anchor announces:

“There’s been another shooting,

more lives lost,

it must be Tuesday.”

But then the sun

slowly rises

over the mountain,

and the fog lifts,

and I see it…

The beauty

of light bouncing off a single leaf

holding steadfast to its branch

refusing to let go.

Ah! I smile.

It’s not always easy

to find the beauty,

but it is always there

for those willing to look.

I have been struggling lately, beautiful souls. People I once respected and admired have shown me they are not who they proclaimed to be, and that’s a heavy blow. I have been personally attacked for continuing to wear a mask in public places, and I have allowed the words of strangers to anger me. Now, I realize I cannot allow their words to affect me. They are the ones who feel the need to attack someone they don’t even know, and that says a lot more about their character than it does mine. So instead of getting angry the next time someone calls me a sheep, or whatever they want to think, I will simply reply, “At least I still care.”

I refuse to let anyone steer me away from my own heart. The world is as beautiful and soft as I choose to see it, even if I have to look inward to find it.

Love and life lessons,

Kristian