Dealing with Obstacles

Kaddish Symphony, or Why We Can’t Wait

It’s the smell of cigarettes, gin and sweat

acrid smoke from incinerating bodies

salt of blood and sweet perfume turned sour

The sound of a tree branch

creaking from the weight of the body inside the noose

Percussion whistle of a fire hose

spraying down children, families, grandmothers

Terror and dread when you hear those footsteps approaching

Subtle clutch of a handbag against the ribcage

sweep of a glance that renders you a criminal, a freak, a security threat

Wrong place, wrong time, wrong neighborhood, wrong body, wrong country, wrong bathroom, wrong clothes

Missed my stop, my medication, my ride

Even if your loved ones school you on survival strategies

Even if you have a PhD, a sugar daddy, health insurance, a good job, a nose job, a Grammy, a lawyer

Straighten your hair, your tie, your skirt

Shave your beard, shave your legs, take your meds

Change your name, change location, change clothes

I can’t wait for Yizkor

I’ve already started calling out the names

Trayvon Martin

Sakia Gunn

Emmett Till

Matthew Shepard

Gwen Araujo

Lawrence King

Tyler Clementi

Keep going

Tomorrow it might be you, your child, your lover, your teacher, your neighbor, your grandmother

Today we can write,

sing

cry

talk

listen

rage

pray

pay

hug

heal

touch

laugh

vote

feed

read

drum

chant

circle

walk

stand

speak

We don’t have to do this alone

I don’t care if you call it God, Buddha, Allah, Jesus, Yahweh, HaShem, Mystery, Nature, Higher Power, Justice, Truth, Peace

Stand for Love

Start right now

 

March 25, 2012

© Karen L. Erlichman

Posted in Courage, Dealing with Obstacles, Grief and Loss, Healing, Interfaith, Resilience, Social Justice, Truth and Lies

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Stumble and Fall

I was hiking this morning on a beautiful mountain ridge, and the trail was very dry and gravely. As we made our way up the parched trail, I slid a few feet and scraped my shin a bit. Thankfully, I found my footing again and was able to make it to the top. 

My leg was stinging a bit, not enough to warrant more than a quick peek and a sigh. I could feel how easily my pride made a brief appearance, as I brushed myself off and quickly reassured my friend that I was fine and needed no assistance. 

It was amazing to see how quickly those hard-headed character traits step forward involuntarily, and how relieved I was to feel sturdy enough to keep on hiking. 

There is no shame in stumbling now and then along the path of life. We fall, and find our balance, again and again.

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 View from the top of the trail

Posted in Dealing with Obstacles, Resilience

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Break Free

It's just too damn easy to get locked into old patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. Wouldn't it be a relief if we could get a "get out of jail free" card whenever we need it? 

What existing habits or patterns in your life would you love to break free of? 

 

Jailbreak

 

It’s time to break out -

Jailbreak time.

Time to punch our way out of

the dark winter prison.

Lilacs are doing it

in sudden explosions of soft purple,

And the jasmine vines, and ranunculus, too.

There is no jailer powerful enough

to hold Spring contained.

Let that be a lesson.

Stop holding back the blossoming!

Quit shutting eyes and gritting teeth,

curling fingers into fists, hunching shoulders.

Lose your determination to remain unchanged.

All the forces of nature

want you to open,

Their gentle nudge carries behind it

the force of a flash flood.

Why make a cell your home

when the door is unlocked

and the garden is waiting for you?

 

Maya Spector

 

Photo

Posted in Dealing with Obstacles

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Share the Shmaltz

After a week of feeling moderately grumpy for no particular reason, today I am reveling in bliss. I could retrace my steps to figure out how I got here, but that would be a shallow illusion that I alone can craft the formula for happiness.  I am immensely grateful for all the things I CAN do in the service of healing and joy, and also for the presence of Mystery that lifts my spirit. 

By the way, in the midst of my grumpiness, I even googled "what to do when you're grumpy," and 99% of the listings said music is the key to shifting your mood. I did put on some "get happy" music, accompanied by some "get happy" dancing in the privacy of my own living room. It really helped–shmaltzy but true.

What personal strategies and tricks do you use to lift your spirits when you're feeling cranky or down? 

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Fun fashion helps too…

Posted in Dealing with Obstacles, Healing, Mind/Body/Spirit, Music, Resilience

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What Are You Doing to Change the World?

"And now I'm just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time."
–Lady Gaga

More than a fashion icon or creative performer, Lady Gaga is also an activist. Whether or not you are a fan of her music or couture, she is inarguably using her fame as a powerful platform for social justice, giving voice to those whose stories are often silenced, shamed or ignored. 


 "IMG_0306 Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

 the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting 

over and over announcing your place
in the family of things."

–excerpt from the poem "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver

Posted in Dealing with Obstacles, Resilience

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