Mythos & Marginalia

life notes; flaws and all

j.g. lewis

original content and images ©j.g. lewis

a daily breath...

A thought du jour, my daily breath includes collected and conceived observations, questions of life, fortune cookie philosophies, reminders, messages of peace and simplicity, unsolicited advice, inspirations, quotes and words that got me thinking. They may get you thinking too . . .

I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.

j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.

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Moving Through September And Beyond
Posted on September 7, 2016 by j.g.lewis // 1 Comment

highway

The highway may have many lanes, but you can only travel in one direction. I choose forward. There are things to see, things to accomplish, there is only a future.
My past, the parts that hurt, is behind me. What’s ahead is unknown.
There will be times, there always is, where you feel you are running on empty. You are not. If you keep your heart full of love and your mind full of gratitude, you can move forward through anything.

I wrote this passage in a journal about two years ago, as I was preparing to drive to what is now my home. I was leaving behind a city, one with many solid memories, but was departing at the end of a September full of grief.

There is something about September that gets you thinking. It could be that flipping the page on a calendar alerts you to what is about to come. At any time, summer’s heat will succumb to frost, and the leaves will turn and then fall. Autumn is close, winter arriving soon thereafter.

It is the life cycle we have become accustomed to. It is organic, and true.

It might also be that the most influential years of our lives are marked by this month. The return to school was as natural as the killing frosts. Even as parents, our clock is more set to the ninth month, and the return to school, than the other 11.

September spells change.

Almost two years ago I made a major change. After shedding material possessions that were simply weighing me down, I packed my car with what would fit: my art, a few books, clothing, a computer, stereo, and some of my records. These were the things that would sustain me, but not all that mattered.

As I wrote in my journal “All I really need doesn’t require space in the car; only space in your heart and your head.”

I arrived in a new city with hope, plans and dreams. It was time for a change, and I knew it. I knew I needed it

Two years isn’t a lot of time, but in that period I have accomplished goals, or found many of the things I believed I needed, or was looking for. There are still a few wants, or desires, but I am more patient now than I was even then.

It’s not that a made a list (I probably should have) but I’ve managed to check off a few boxes. I am comfortable with a new city, but becoming even more comfortable with my self.

I have learned to approach things differently, and while shedding many of the patterns that may have held me back, I have managed to continue (if not further) the practices that keep me growing artistically and, above that, personally.

No longer do I place the same limitations on what I can and cannot do, and perhaps I have discovered why I am driven to certain extremes. These extremes are no longer uncomfortable. These extremes are where I live.

It’s funny how September forces you to reflect. I did today, and I did so with love and with gratitude. That’s not a bad way to either end a season, or begin another.

Posted on September 6, 2016 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment

 

enlight1-1

 

Enlight1

What
will you
fear
     today?
What will
you feel?
Can you
find
your self
       room
to get out
of the
deal?
Did you
        know
 what you
bargained
for?
Were you
    aware?
At the
time
you
signed on
was your
       heart
even there?
                              j.g.l.

Mondays are just young Fridays
Posted on September 5, 2016 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment

Enlight1

          Only occasional
slight glimpses of ourselves
                       are left behind
                       in open spaces.
So much to offer,
so much to see,
so many directions.
           All of us going somewhere,
our paths will undoubtedly cross.
How could they not?
We share the same sky.
             Travelling at varied speeds,
each of us with different concerns
and flight plans.
             Where are we going?
Through common skies, and
           with similar questions
                  of where and why,
              we only leave traces.
At least we try.
                                                            j.g.l.