Happiness and Pain
Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.~ Kevyn Aucoin
Today my friends an odd title for a blog on happiness, happiness and pain seem about as far apart as two things can be. We all have pain, we’ve all lost love and loved ones and for some of us those losses might be quite fresh. Sometimes we feel as though pain is all that there is in our lives. Pain is a part of life, we all will experience it at some time in our life and if may feel as though we can’t survive it. That’s my first point tonight, you have, you will survive the pain in your life. As the Taoists say, no storm lasts forever, no matter how fierce. So first, you know this, keep that in your mind.
For me pain has a second edge and that is creativity, I write my best poetry when I’m in pain. The blacker my mood becomes the more I write, it’s become a psychic survival tool for me. The writing helps, it burns out the negative energy and brings light into the darkness through art and creation. My second point, find a way to create when you’re hurting, write, paint, take photographs, build, knit, crochet, hell grab a coloring book and color. There is something life affirming and positive about the process of creation, even if what you create isn’t all that beautiful.
So tonight my friends, as I write this I’m dealing with some pain of my own, the effects are being exacerbated by a medical issue messing with my brain chemistry. But I’ve been writing and exercising, eating right and doing the things I know to do to keep my mood up. This storm, as have all the previous ones, will pass the clouds will part, the sun will come out again and life will be even better than it already is today. A little of my writing below. If you’re in pain I’m hoping your storm will pass soon my friend, know that someone cares and look forward to happy days. ~ Rev Kane
Alone in the Depths 9/10/16
I miss her
like a drowning man
misses oxygen
at first scrambling for the light
then,
there is pain
finally, utter panic
as I dig for the surface
not enough progress
only to remember
I tied the anchor to my ankles
forced separation from the light
the only hope for my sanity
but I find myself
unable to give myself over
relax,
let it come over me
I ache
I sink
I’m alone in the depths
Other Posts You Might Enjoy!
Happiness is Poetry: Ashe Vernon
Happiness is Poetry: Warsan Shire
Happiness is Poetry: Doug Draime
The Ministry of Happiness 