The Open Window

Posted on June 2, 2015 by russtowne

The Open Window

 I just opened a window.

 In the space

 Of a heart-beat

Magic happened.

 My senses

 Are aroused

 By sumptuous melodies

 Of songbirds

Singing so near

 It seems

 They’ve flown

 Into my office

 To share their gifts

 With me.

 The scent of rain

 And flowers

 Meld

 Into potent

 Olfactory pleasure.

 Inches away,

 Great multi-colored blossoms

 Capture my eyes,

 Each vibrant petal

 An invitation

 To soak

 In its beauty

 And experience

 Exquisite softness

 With a touch.

 In this moment,

 Life-diminishing

 Concerns

 Disappear.

 LIVE!

 Really LIVE!

 That is what

 I do

 When I remember

 To remove

 The blinders

 Of everyday distractions

 From my heart and senses

 And truly

 Experience

 The wonders

 All around me.

 A profound

 Sense of gratitude,

 Joy,

 Connectedness,

 And

 Peace

 Envelops me.

 A bit of sadness too,

 For having let

 Lack of mindfulness

 And

 A thin

 Pane of glass

 Separate me

 From all these blessings.

 The sadness

 Doesn’t last.

 How could it

When surrounded

 By

 So many

 Miracles?

 –Russ Towne

 ©Copyright Russ Towne 2015

 

 

Posted in Beauty, Joy & Happiness, Life, Poetry, Poetry I Wrote | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

Sock War!

Posted on May 27, 2015 by russtowne

russtowne's avatarRuss Towne's A Grateful Man

One day when our boys were still fairly young, I kidded my Beloved about something as she sorted and matched a basket of clean socks, rolling the matched pairs into little balls to keep them together. The next thing I knew a pair of rolled up socks was flying at me at roughly the speed of sound and hit me squarely between the eyes!

My Beloved had an amazingly accurate throwing arm and she knew how to use it! She had been signed for a Pro Woman’s Softball League right out of high school after being voted the most athletic girl in our school. So, when I say My Beloved could throw like a pro I’m not exaggerating even a little bit!

Luckily for me, a pair of rolled up cotton socks rolled up into a ball has not much greater impact than a cotton ball.

“Two can play that game,”…

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The Kind of Friend I Want to Be

Posted on May 22, 2015 by russtowne

The Kind of Friend I Want to Be

One day I found I had false friends

It broke my heart and I blamed them

But blaming those I couldn’t count on

Taught me nothing and I was wrong

I had the friends I deserved

For true friends I’d be better served

To change myself and become one

To learn to do what must be done

Train my eyes to clearly see

What their eyes are telling me

All the things so hard to say

Keep listening ‘til they find a way

To share their pain, grief and fears,

Hear with my heart not just my ears

Give a loving hug when they need one

When they’re defeated and when they’ve won

Stand with them in life’s hottest fires

Help them achieve what they desire

Then speak my truth while being kind

So they’ll know what’s on my mind

Share my passions, fears, and dreams,

My best laid plans and crazy schemes

I do these things for them and me

To be the friend I want to be

I now have friends both tried and true

Who appreciate the things I do

They’re there for me and me for them

My life is brighter with true friends

–Russ Towne

With Love,

Russ

Posted in Choices, Friendship, Poetry, Poetry I Wrote | Tagged , , , | 29 Comments

Lightly child, lightly

Posted on May 21, 2015 by russtowne

I found it exhausting (without my even being aware of the load) as I (mostly unknowingly) fought the draw to live my dreams and follow my passions rather than to keep living in fear. The incredible weight came from fighting the flow instead of just going with it. Once I began making the decision to follow my dreams and passions, and kept making that decision anew each day, I felt a huge weight lift, much as a backpacker does in high altitudes after a long and arduous climb when they take off their backpack. But while the great feeling of backpackers is only temporary, the feeling of exhilaration and freedom by following my dreams continues. The fears are sometimes still there, but as I’ve focused my definition of success as doing what I love with those with those I love and who love me, I count myself hugely successful almost every day.

With Love,
Russ

Live & Learn's avatarLive & Learn

breathe-neck-woman

How exhausting,
sometimes,
to bear not only the weight of what you are,
but also the weight of what you ought to be.

~ Stephen Sparks, No. 63

Notes:

  • Image Source: Nell Donovan via eikadan
  • Post Title & Inspiration: Aldous Huxley: “It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.”
  • Prior “Lightly child, lightly” Posts? Connect here.

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Change of Heart: A Children’s Rhyming Story

Posted on May 20, 2015 by russtowne

Change of Heart

 “Why do you look so sad?” asked my friend Chad.

 “It’s because of the bad day I’ve had!”

 He asked, “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

 Now that was a big surprise!

 As he and I sat to chat

 I asked him what he meant by that.

 He relied, “You’re looking at things all wrong

 And that can make you sad all day long.

 You have people who love and care,

 Good food to eat and clothes to wear.”

 I said, “Yes, of course that’s true.”

 Chad added, “Some folks don’t have what you do.

 I said, “You are right in what you say

 But I have had an awful day.”

 He said, “You can’t smile when wearing a frown

 “Or see the sun when looking down.

 I nodded my noggin and had to agree.

 Today began to look good to me.

 “You’re right! I’m having a wonderful day!”

 I thanked Chad and went on my way.

 Now when things go wrong for a while

 I turn my frown upside down

 Into a smile.

 –Russ Towne

Posted in Children's Stories/Poems I Wrote, Choices, Poetry, Poetry I Wrote, Rhyming | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

Any time you doubt your own worth, remember this story…

Posted on May 20, 2015 by russtowne

This story brought tears to my eyes. I believe it will also deeply touch you.
With Love,
Russ

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

The Black Telephone…

When I was a young boy, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood..

I remember the polished, old case fastened to the Wall.

The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box.

I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person.

Her name was “Information Please” and there was nothing she did not know.

Information Please could supply anyone’s number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor.

Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked…

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That day

Posted on May 19, 2015 by russtowne

I loved experiencing this beautiful creation. It so well captures the feelings.

With Love,
Russ

forgottenmeadows's avatarforgottenmeadows

That day…

The world forgot to be kind,

and you forgot to be patient,

and in between figuring out who you were,

and where you came from,

and why you were here,

the clouds of life,

poured on you,

and your heart cried with the rain…

but,

when it was over,

and though the world did not change,

you felt lighter and soul felt cleansed,

and you noticed the smiles among the frowns,

and drenched in what was your pain,

you found that little piece of joy again,

you followed the rainbow of life.

copyright neha 2015 copyright neha 2015

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A Man With a Treasure

Posted on May 18, 2015 by russtowne

A Man With a Treasure

 I know a man

 Who has

 A true treasure

 For a wife

 Yet too often

Chooses

 To focus

 On her relatively few faults

 Instead of celebrating

 And

 Being grateful

 For all the ways

 He is

 Amazingly blessed

 To have her

 In his life.

 At those times,

 The man

 Is one of the

 Biggest Fools

 I know.

 Sadly,

 That man

 Is me.

 –Russ Towne

With Love,

Russ

 

Posted in Marriage, Observations, Poetry, Poetry I Wrote | Tagged , , , , | 23 Comments

Today’s Quote

Posted on May 16, 2015 by russtowne

I love this quote and photo.

With Love,
Russ

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Another Children’s Rhyming Poem

Posted on May 16, 2015 by russtowne

One Day in the Shade

One day in the shade

Of a Tickletoe Tree

I thought how funny

The world would be

If we saw with our ears

Tasted with toes

Smelled with our eyes

And touched with our nose

If chairs sat on people

Or floated off floors

We walked on walls

And slept on doors

If red and green

Were switched around

Would traffic lights

Be upside down?

If the sea was sand

And the sand was sea

Would fish have feet

And where would we be?

All day in the shade

Of a Tickletoe Tree

I think how funny

The world would be

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Children's Stories/Poems I Wrote, Fun, Humor, Poetry, Poetry I Wrote, Rhyming | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments