It’s Been a Long Time Haiku

The title says it all. I haven’t blogged in months. Part of that is being busy. I have a new son if you didn’t know. Part of that is that, honestly, WordPress really doesn’t make much sense to me anymore. All the settings are different and nothing does what I want it to do. It used to make sense and was fun to operate. Now I don’t get it. Kinda like becoming a dad at fifty! 🙂 Still, I wanted to make the effort and post some haiku from my ever-increasing catalog. I still write a new haiku everyday. Most are inspirational. Some are rants and current event observations. (I don’t post those). Thanks for taking the time to read these. If you like them, give the post a like. It would be nice to know if people are still out there and reading blogs. There’s been so much negativity around blogs and podcasts in the media of late. 

Anyway, I sincerely hope you all have a magnificent day. Enjoy!

Namaste,

Jason

6/17/20

5434

Creativity

Is a long-term investment

In your mental health.



6/18/20

5435

We will never learn

Until firstly we shut up

And pay attention.

 

6/20/20

5437

Show me your actions.

Don’t tell me what you would do,

Go out and do it!

 

6/25/20

5442

There will never be

Another moment like this.

Love and savor it.

 

6/29/20

5446

What will today bring,

What new possibilities,

What great surprises?

 

6/30/20

5447

How can I restore

My abilities back to

Factory settings?

 

7/1/20

5448

We know we don’t know,

Yet we go not-knowing

Rather than knowing.

 

7/2/20

5449

One can devalue

The life given to us all

Through one’s own choices.

 

7/2/20

5450

Ev’ry new idea

Provides opportunity

To spread peace and love.

 

7/3/20

5451

Each of us suffer,
Publicly or privately.

Know this and be kind.

Our Family, now including Junius Quincy Rogers Michael, born June 23, 2021

 

March into 2021 with Haiku!

 Greetings, everyone! This may actually be my first post of 2021.I hope everyone is holding up in our present "new normal." I continue to write at least one new haiku a day. Many are deeply personal or pertain to current (then) events, so I don't really have plans to share any of those. But as I get the chance to transcribe a page here and there I still like to post whenever I can. My focus remains on Self-Development Haiku: inspirational, motivational, spiritual, and any form of positive affirmation. I do still intend to diversify my posts but, honestly, some days with a seven-year old and another one on the way, I'm just lucky enough to dress and walk forward. Anyway, enough rambling, please enjoy the haiku if you are so inclined and forgive the wonky formatting. I'm still not accustomed to whatever this new block formatting is or how it's supposed to work.

Stay safe, and find some time for you this month.
Sincerely,
Jason
 
 
 5/20/20
 5406
 How thick-skinned some are,
 To endure all onslaughts and
 Still stand firm and true
  
  
 5/21/20
 5407
 Say “Be not afraid”
 Over and over again
 Until it takes root.
  
 5/22/20
 5408
 Stop thinking so much.
 Just get off your ass and do.
 Doing’s good for you.
  
 5/23/20
 5409
 Please think for yourself!
 Don’t let others think for you.
 Let them do their own. 

 
 5/28/20
 5414
 Unless you teach it
 You're likely to forget it.
 Knowledge needs sharing. 

My Little tree hugger striking a tree pose

 6/10/20
 5427
 We can do better.
 Better for our country and
 Better for our world.
  
 6/11/20
 5428
 Can we have some peace?
 A few minutes, a breath’s worth,
 A sunset, a breeze?
  
 6/12/20
 5429
 Whenever you can
 Be a help, not a hindrance,
 A blessing, not a curse. 

 
 
 6/15/20
 5432
 Don’t be taken in
 By obfuscating language.
 See things as they are.
  
 6/16/20
 5433
 You just never know.
 Maybe your grandma is a
 Secret Nazi spy! 

A beautiful trail at powhatan state park

Sneaking Some Moments for Haiku

Oh, my dear friends, Thanksgiving has come and gone and now we are in the run up to Christmas and all the other holidays that populate this season. The days are getting too short for me and the pandemic is spiking once again. Alone in the darkness it’s so easy to wallow. I am overwhelmed with a backlog of work and simultaneously hyper-aware of all the things I should’ve and could’ve done if I wasn’t so busy with other things. Well, dash it all. Amid all the hustle and bustle I need to stop and do something just for me, something creative that I want to do, not need to do. So here it: a few stolen moments of transcribing haiku from last spring. I needed to do this and share, and I hope if you read them you find something of value in them to lighten your day, dispel the darkness, or rally you once again to hang in there. Until we chat again, here’s wishing you had a blessed Thanksgiving and that your Christmas/holiday season is progressing with a minimum of stress and according to plan. If not, there’s always tomorrow.

Peace and Giblets

Jason

5/3/20

5389

Offer ev’ryone

Love, support, encouragement;

Including yourself.

 

5/7/20

5393

We can never be

Free of our earthly choices.

They live in our flesh.

5/9/20

5395

Without proper rest

The world is a dismal place,

Swirling in sadness.

 

5/11/20

5397

We need more Berlins,

Writing the songs of our land,

Lifting Americans.

5/13/20

5399

The time’s always now,

The day is always today.

The goal is this goal.

 

5/14/20

5400

Dwell upon thoughts that

Energize and inspire, not

Disempower you.

 

5/15/20

5401

You just never know

What tomorrow might bring you.

Better live today.

 

5/17/20

5403

Help me through the day,

Past the obstacles and pits.

This we pray, O Lord.

 

5/18/20

5404

May today be well –

Productive, joyful, peaceful,

– A haven from strife.

 

5/19/20

5405

Be there for others

As you would have them there for

You and your children.

Fall 2020 Quaran-haiku

Well, fall has officially started, we’re just about two weeks away from the next presidential election, and my son is visiting his grandparents. The last one means I get a few moments to transcribe some more haiku from the recent past. So here goes…

This collection is from mid-April 2020. The quarantine was about a month old then. (Were we ever that young?) And the idea of being safe inside for a time was still filled with hopeful potential. In many ways not much has hanged, except we’re all still sheltering in place and waiting for the whole thing to come to an unsatisfying close. But in the meantime there’s always more haiku!

Know that you’re not alone. Know that this will end. Know that permanent changes will come from this, but hopefully, most of them will be for the better.

Hang in there, wash your hands, wear your mask, and keep the faith.

Namaste,

Jason

4/17/20

5373

Use your time wisely.

Exercise, read, research, cook,

Write that symphony.

 

4/20/20

5376

Be the world’s beacon.

Shine your warm glow ever forth,

Driving out darkness.

 

4/21/20

5377

Believe in yourself!

Need me to say it again?

Believe in yourself!

 

4/24/20

5380

Remain positive

Despite negativity

Ev’rywhere you look.

 

4/25/20

5381

Use your God-given

Abilities to make the

World a better place.

My little love and I

 

4/27/20

5383

Advance toward a

Worthy goal ev’ryday with

Small, steady efforts.

 

4/28/20

5384

You can only do

What you can do given your

Time and resources.

 

4/29/20

5385

You are not alone.

You are not alone. You are

Not alone. You are…

 

5/1/20

5387

If you must love me,

Love me for who I am, not

For who I might be.

 

5/2/20

5388

That which we believe

Is more likely to come true

Than that which we don’t.

View from an abandoned fire lookout in Shenandoah National Park

Hang in There Haiku

I feel very much the need to share this week. As there is stress, concern, and unrest all across our country, there is also deep concern in my own family that I’m not quite ready to disclose and write on. I have never made a secret of the fact that my haiku are written as therapy, both for myself and by extension the outside world of friends, colleagues, and any in need. If my writing can lift just one person up that day through sharing it is worth it. So, with that aim, I share some new haiku, all written back in March and early April just as we slipped into quarantine here in Virginia, but seemingly as relevant as if I wrote them this week. May your day be filled with peace, inspiration, and freedom from pain.

Namaste, friends,

Jason

5348
Make the most of it.
You have been given this gift:
Time for improvement.

5349
Whatever they do,
Don’t feel you have to do that.
Just do your own thing.

5352
Have you done enough?
If on this day your life ends
Have you lived fully?

5357
Bring some happiness
To someone besides yourself.
Know they deserve it.

5358
What are you doing
To make the world a little
Better and kinder?

My Bean and I on the ferris wheel in Ocean City, MD

 

5359
The you of today
Should be better than the you
You were yesterday.

5361
It’s all about you.
Responsibility lies
With you alone.

 

 

 

5363
Keep treading water.
Face the land, keep paddling;
You will reach the shore.

5364
Now is the time to:
Act, live, love, forgive, learn, breathe,
Hope, connect with Source.

5371
Give it your best shot.
You only have this life to
Make your difference.

The bridge at the Reading Public Museum. It’s been a lifetime since I visited this weekend.

Christmas in July Haiku

I have to remain creative. This summer is so much about absorbing what’s out there, rather than creating anew. With all my primary summer creative projects cancelled, it’s a ‘caretaker’ summer, managing what is rather than making what isn’t. My haiku at least let me express daily a small measure of my feelings. So here are some more from the backlog. These are the last of 2019, before the plague, before the shutdown, before the world changed. I hope their simple messages give you joy or comfort, whatever you need most right now. I’ll be back again soon. Until then, stay safe, wash your hands, wear your mask, and make whatever lemonade you can from the lemons of your life.

Wishing you well,

Jason

12/29/19
5286
Let come what will come
And respond accordingly
As the night to day.

12/31/19
5288
How shall we proceed?
What shall we prioritize,
And what abandon?

1/5/20
5290
You must find your way
Back to a more powerful place
Where love can flourish.

1/6/20
5291
I know you’re nervous.
Trust that you’ve got what it takes
To be successful.

1/8/20
5293
We shall do our best,
And only we determine
What that best shall be.

The family on an outing this summer.

1/9/20
5294
Gradually calm.
One breath at a time. In. Out.
Rest in the moment.

1/13/20
5295
What’s most important
Is that you never give up.
Small breaks are okay.

 

 

 

1/24/20
5296
Connect with old friends.
What a joy to catch up and
Fondly reminisce.

1/25/20
5297
All work and no play…?
All work and no play makes one…?
Can’t think now; must work.

1/26/20
5298
When will my life change?
Spun wheels for so long and now
Not getting younger.

1/27/20
5299
Who is this old man
Renting space in my body?
Aren’t I still twelve?

1/28/20
5300
Intimidation:
How easily it happens.
A loud voice conquers.

A sloth at the Richmond Metro Zoo, the embodiment of the socially distanced Summer 2020

A Helping of Haiku

Ah, Friday, the end of the week. I get to sit down and have a few minutes to myself to collect my thoughts and do what I want. It really is nice to have the time to sift through the backlog of haiku on my legal pad and transcribe them onto the computer. We all know the world’s a mess and we’re all basically in hiding or in search of toilet paper. So with that said, I really appreciate all of you who take the time to read my blog, both my haiku posts and the other stories or anecdotal posts I share. So here’s the latest installment all the way back from around Thanksgiving. Again, as I’ve said before, they feel like they could’ve been written this week. If you enjoy them, ‘like’ the post or drop me a note and let me know. And as always, stay safe, wash your hands and, (and I don’t believe I have to say this,) don’t ingest any detergent or cleansing agents this week. In the words of Sancho Panza, “Whether the stone hits the pitcher, or the pitcher hits the stone, it’ll be bad for the pitcher.” Be well.

Namaste,

Jason

11/17/19
5259
Grant me grace today.
In all things I say and do,
Embody Your grace.

11/18/19
5260
Help me to forgive;
Aspersions and transgressions,
Make them all as dust.

11/19/19
5261
What is a life worth?
Who gets to assess value?
God, me, committee?

11/20/19
5262
Help me through the day.
Help me to find the courage
To say “yes” to life.

11/21/19
5263
Your life is your life.
Make of it what you would make.
Design it your way.

Someone likes the back deck

 

11/22/19
5264
Get it together!
Put your attention where it
Really needs to be.

11/24/19
5266
Can good come from bad?
Is it acceptable to
Praise the light cum dark?

 

 

 

11/25/19
5267
Good people fall down.
It’s our job to forgive them
And help them to stand.

11/29/19
5268
What are your ethics?
Can they be purchased for bread?
Are they set in stone?

12/2/19
5269
How sad it is that
Some people only thrive by
Tearing others down.

12/3/19
5270
A much needed rest
Is just around the corner.
You’ve almost made it.

12/4/19
5271
If you want to win
Keep your battle plan private
And your charm public.

I love pink flowering dogwoods, don’t you?

April in corona-time haiku

Hello All,

Here’s a second helping of haiku from the vault of the last few months. I will say that being home all the time does allow me to transcribe my haiku from the legal pads faster than when the world is running normally, whatever that means. On a personal note, I’m still kind of surprised that some of the haiku, that were written in this case in November of 2019, feel like they’re talking to today, right now. I don’t often get a chance to go back and read what I wrote “back then,” so it’s a bit of a discovery or rediscovery all around. I’ve left the dates in this time so you can see when they were written. And please note, there’s one piece of profanity. It happens. Sorry. Anyway, please while you read these, stay safe, stay in, and wash your hands. And as always, thanks for reading and if something strikes your fancy consider letting me know.

Peace and good health,

Jason

 11/2/19
5244
Nothing is certain;
Tomorrow you could die or
Get a tax refund.

11/3/19
5245
Sometimes you have to
Back off, cut your losses, and
Just not give a shit.

11/7/19
5249
Try to remain calm.
Take a deep breath and be still.
You can get through this.

11/8/19
5250
We have only now
To make our diff’rence; live, love,
Leave our legacy.

Shadow says, “Practice social distancing,” even in a cabinet.

11/9/19
5251
Whatever happens
Keep it all in perspective
And just keep moving.

11/10/19
5252
Remember you have
A responsibility
To optimism.

11/12/19
5254
You just never know
When opportunity will
Decide to come knock.

11/14/19
5256
Grant me, O Lord, peace,
Health, wisdom, understanding,
Patience, discernment.

11/15/19
5257
Ruthlessly protect
All those that come to you for
Assistance and love.

Just a boy out walking his cat on the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime.

I’m Still Here Haiku

Well, there’s no question it’s been more than a long time since I wrote anything on my blog. And even with that said, I’ll save writing about what I’ve been up to, my family, the Coronavirus, and all that stuff for another day. Truth is, with all this working from home I have a little more time to do stuff like this, so hopefully you have a moment to read these little guys. Full disclosure, these haiku were written back in October of 2019, but as I was reading over them to select which to include in my post, some of them appeared almost eerily prescient or at the very least far too .timely. Anyway, enjoy, thanks for reading and wash your hands. I wish you peace and good health.

Namaste,

Jason

5230
It’s hard to stay sane
In a world gone truly mad,
Where nothing’s normal.

5231
There will come a day
When the nations of the world
Unify in love.

5232
How shall we proceed,
In anger and bitterness
Or forgiveness?

5233
That which flourishes
Will diminish tomorrow
While we ride the waves.

5234
Que sera sera
Is such a Buddhist notion.
What will be will be.

Here is our kitten, Ickasik, (Icky for short) demonstrating social distancing by taking up all available room on the bed.

5235
Don’t let them make you
Dream any size less than big.
Small is not enough.

5237
Don’t give up the ship!
Plug the leak and head for shore.
You’re unsinkable.

5238
Be magnanimous.
Kindness, forgiveness, and grace;
That’s what it’s about.

5239
Just once I’d like to
Be like my cat: no worries,
Sleeping in a sink.

5241
We have yet to fight,
Live, love, prosper, grow, transform
To our potential.

Here is Quicktop assisting me in getting fresh air into the house and any germs out by falling asleep in the open window for five hours. He and his sister are very helpful.

Haiku for an uplift

Well, it’s been a week. (I seem to say that a lot.) And that means writing haiku to bolster my spirits. I’ve been working seven days a week (doesn’t everybody nowadays?), celebrated a wedding anniversary, marked the 89th birthday of my father who crossed over 19 years ago, and just tried all manner of strategies to keep my head above water. So here you go! If these little guys bring you any peace, comfort, or joy, I’ve done my job for another week. May you be calm and blessed.

Namaste,

Jason

5216
Let today be a
Peace, Love, Light, Healthy, Happy,
Groovy kind of day.

5217
Who you choose to be
Is entirely your call;
Not a group project.

5218
We become our thoughts;
Our thoughts become our actions;
Actions, character.

5220
I brake for flowers,
Good food, sunrises, rainbows,
Slow turtles, and cats.

5221
Dance the cosmic dance,
Making up the words and moves
As you go along.

The Tao of Kittens

5222
There are some people,
No matter how hard you try,
You’ll just never please.

5223
Mother used to say,
“Some people just won’t like you.
You mustn’t sweat it.”

 

 

 

 

5226
Seek help if needed.
Don’t suffer in silence while
Putting up a front.

5227
Live today today.
Put yesterday behind you
And tomorrow off.

5228
Try to breathe today.
Don’t let the grind get to you.
Hold to your stillness.

Scary Halloween faces