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 . . .

Mondays are just young Fridays

What are a few days between seasons? As if a shadow could tell of the time and temperature range from hour to day, today or tomorrow, or last season.
   Summer to fall. Now is not a fixed period, as was yesterday or last week. Those periods of time are fluid, ever changing, but still somewhat definite in our minds for the time being representing the periods or eras of our presence here on earth.
   How we measure our time, any time, always includes a proviso. The conditions we set will influence what is to come, as much as what has happened.
   How can you explain yourself when a short-term view overrides the obvious long-term accumulation of thought and experience.
   This time is yours; how you chose to share it will differ from day to day.

09/25/2023                                                                                                j.g.l.

unclear

 

You wander.
We all do.

Uncertainty can often
blur your surroundings.

Unclear.

The map is always there,
the lines signify the path
you need to follow.

You simply have to find
the direction.

It is all in your hands.

© 2017 j.g. lewis

 

gr@ffiti

               Anguish or confusion, 
        sometimes it is the way. 
      Anxiety takes over. 
        What else can you say  
     as you try to put aside all 
     the feelings that dog you 
   anyway.    No pain today.  
           Try as you might to
    see your way through. 
       No pain.    Not today. 

09/14/2023                                                               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.

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Needed Rest

Posted on March 11, 2023 by j.g.lewis Leave a comment

Are you resting or waiting?
   A former yoga teacher used to, occasionally, ask this question in class. It was always during the long savasana in the middle, after the warm-up and standing series, and in preparation for the final half.
   Even if the studio was mat-to-mat with bodies, this question always felt like it was directed towards me. It was always on days when the sweat seemed to run more deliberately into my eyes, my breath would not soften, my muscles remained tense, and my head would be stuck in the emotional traffic.
   I’d get all fidgety and restless, and it was nothing like a corpse pose should be. My focus was on anything but my yoga practice, and it was like I was waiting to move on or waiting to be done with class so I could get on with everything else.
   I wasn’t reaching the stillness required.
   I wasn’t resting.
   I was waiting for the next postures to begin.
   There is a huge difference between resting and waiting.
   When you rest, whether in a yoga class or getting much-needed sleep at night, you need to let your entire being go slack; your eyes remain closed and your mind is open, and there should be nothing trailing in and out of your head.
   When you rest, you leave yourself open to dreams and ideas, and change. Your blood flows unrestricted, flushing the body of toxins and negative energy. You breathe, unceremoniously, allowing oxygen to circulate and seep into the cells and deepest reaches of your brain.
   When you are resting you remain open to what is ahead. You aren’t waiting for anything.
   When you are waiting, even when trying to rest, you never reach the point of relaxation.
   While you are waiting, your muscles are contracted; your rigid back and bones preventing blood from flowing freely. When you are tense, your mind is closed off to everything, except the thing you are waiting for.
   You are too intent on looking ahead, and thinking how you’ll get there, that your body does not have the opportunity to rejuvenate. You become anxious, and issues and obstacles appear out of nowhere and they stick around for as long as your reckless mind will allow.
   If you don’t get the rest you need, you can’t recover from what you’ve been putting yourself through. If you don’t rest, you are never fully able concentrate on the tasks at had because you haven’t rested well enough, or long enough.
   You’ve been tying up the mind with waiting for what will happen, that you never see and feel the rest of what life has to offer.
   Waiting is fine, waiting can be good (good things come to those who wait), and waiting is necessary, but it should not interfere with your rest.
   We spend all too much time thinking of things, when we really need more time to sit and not think.
   We all need more rest, and we all need less waiting.
    I know I need more time to relax and to breathe.
   We all need the time to rest and just be.

© 2016 j.g. lewis

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