Conversations,
ruminations, noise,
nonsense and
contradictory advice
comes with a price .
What was said
and what was
meant were
two completely
different things.
By all means
say what you mean
but please try
your best to mean
what you say.
12/08/2023 j.g.l.
With the wars, chaos and conflict, and proliferation of hate speech that surrounds all of us right now, it is difficult to subscribe to the familiar mantra espoused in this season:
Peace on Earth, good will to all men.
We can only wonder if this will ever be possible. More so, how have we even believed for so long that it could ever be probable. Globally or locally, peace and good will are notably absent from our lives.
Few of us are even in a position where we can affect enough change, and those who have any sort of ability are caught up in fruitless negotiations within the politics of it all.
Hatred has too much power
Love thy neighbour; who even tries? Locally or globally is anyone attempting? I do not wish to sound pessimistic and know there is nothing I can do personally to resolve the global catastrophes and calamities, but I am going to do what I can to create, or acknowledge, peace in my own little world.
In these coming weeks I intend to connect with family and friends who have been there when I needed them. I will reach out, even to those from a distance, to let them know I am thinking of them and what they mean to me. I should have been doing this long ago, and more consistently. I have neglected thanking people when I should have.
I need to be more thankful. I need to express my gratitude more often than I have been.
We can all do such a thing, even if it is something as simple as sending a Christmas card, dashing off an email, or picking up the phone.
We can all pick up the peace.
Yes, there are big problems on this planet we cannot avoid on the news of the day, but by making a daily attempt to reach out to those we care about our world can become a little smaller.
I believe we can find our own peace even in the absence of probability.
I still believe that peace is possible.
12/04/2023 j.g.l.
Personal accomplishments,
practiced perseverance,
following your own voice
even as it becomes muffled
by the world surrounding you.
Pride is not often easy, but it
is always possible.
12/03/2023 j.g.l.
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.
Each of the past few cooler mornings, I have pulled my denim jacket over my shoulders after it has hung in the closet for months.
It’s an old jacket, well-worn (in many ways), faded just right, shows its age and (much like me) is a little frayed at the edges. It has been repaired and stitched up (also like me) and has years of life left in it, I’m sure.
Extremely comfortable, it has a purpose. I remember selecting the jacket when it was brand new, admiring the inner pockets that can hold, if required, a journal or additional camera lens if I’m out on an adventure.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a jean jacket. There’s several old photos of me at the lake, at different ages, in several jean jackets. I’ve grown out of many, lost a few along the way, and this one might be the jacket that has been with me the longest.
In June, I even looked at crisp, indigo new replacement, but it was June, after all, and didn’t think I’d need a jacket for a few months. I put off the purchase for later.
Yesterday, as I walked down to get coffee, I couldn’t imagine what I was thinking. You can’t buy comfort like this, not at first.
It takes time for denim to soften, for the jacket to fit just right after years of wash and wear. The jacket has grown older with me.
I’ve learned to live with it, as I have learned to live in it.
09/09/2019 j.g.l.
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.