There are choices to make as we continue on without the ones we love. We can take our mind to a place of soul crushing pain and anguish. We can cease to be in the world of the living, residing in a morass of melancholy sorrow. These things in the short term are not at all in our control, though we try. The emotions and reasoning even long term are hardly manageable. When we repress, attempt to manage, or distract ourselves with work or anything else it it can harm us and the people that miss us “being alive”. I was fortunate enough to have someone tell me “There’s healthy mourning and unhealthy mourning”
“The only way out is through” I took the initial time to really grieve and stay in my suffering of loss. Mourning is a form of prayer, communication of my feelings to God in the form of wailing, crying, yelling and so on. After the first week I tried to dive into work and get back to “normal” but couldn’t even think straight. I guess it came down to beating myself up enough for not making better use of the short time we had. I also equated my loss with Gods will, at first blaming him and then somewhat accepting my sons death as His will, my sons life as a gift, and at some point became grateful for that gift and the time we had. God was the way in and the way out. Without Him I couldn’t have continued. Nearly 12 years since his passing and the saving grace I’ve had is the hope of our reunion in eternal life after a long (short) life we’ll all be together again. We can’t die with them, even tough part of us does, we must go on with a fervent life, do better, love more, and think of others instead of self. I still mourn in a healthy way and am mindful not to get stuck (when I can help it.) Writing poetry and thoughts like this helped (even the bad writing) . If I get in a rut, I talk to God and someone I love to get out. May God bless you and see you though?
Death Comes Calling
I just died again, it’s the second time today.
The familiar song you used to sing along just began to play
At first a smile and a memory of you and your special way
My heart can’t take when the song is done, you are gone, and I feel all alone
Time stands still with the lump in my throat, I feel I could fall to the floor
I feel weak and my bones can’t support my body anymore, a million pounds they hold me down and no one can pick me up from the floor
I died again and it just plain sucks
I pull it together and begin to move, standing I leave my heart on the floor
I start to work and I stop because the pain I cannot endure
I find my strength and start again working without my heart
Empty chest just move my feet this is how I start
Busy my hands and listen to tunes and try to mend my wounds
Nearly every day is like this and you are missed, the sucker punch or the knife plunges in with a twist
Almost every movie someone’s kid dies and I die again
Relive the moments I last saw you lifeless knowing I will not see you again
I can’t continue to write the tears in my eyes are too thick and I’ve worked myself up to the point where I feel sick.
Love your children and hold them close for they really mean the most.
Night Terror
Sleep sets in I arrive in my nightly scene
cast of haze inside this place
quite an eerie thing
This is where the darkness waits again, fix your mind this is in your brain
Sense of dread within, as I walk through bloodstain
I pray for ease of this strain
Lift the chain
How long must I do this in vein
The occasional horror I am trapped
as if I’ve been grabbed by a force unseen, I can’t scream in my dream
Always silent it would seem
I can’t breathe, I’ve been seized
Something has a hold on me
A phantom it must be
I can’t move, I want to be free
Sliding down the wall I collapse trying to yell
hhhellp! HHhelp!!
It comes out
HELP ME!!!
Adapt to Be Adept
Often times we strive for achievement, goals, aspirations, or dreams.
What happens in us when we don’t arrive where we have placed our aspirations?
My life has had a series of high hopes, dreams, and aspirations even some delusion.
I have a tendency to obsess and completely immerse myself in whatever my current focus is.
Most things I’ve set out to accomplish in my life have been realistic. After passing through the delusion and fantasy of my teenage years and my early 20’s. The reality of having two children and a wife by the age of twenty was helpful.
Still wanting to party like a rockstar. I had new things in my life, like “responsibility” “commitment” and “obligation”, accompanied by the low income struggle to pay the bills, keep babies fed and in diapers.
Ufortunatly, I was better at partying. With the lifestyle I lived, trying to be a father and a husband, I was still very driven and wanted to succeed on all fronts. I started my own business at twenty and had limited success for a time but didn’t understand the tourist based economy we lived in. When the tourist go home the work slows and even stops for some as was my case.
With no work coming in, it was necessary for me to get a regular job with a regular income. This meant the end, or at least postponement of my first dream of being a successful contractor.
I adapted, and started a new method, wherein I sought “on the job training” to learn and hone a variety of skilled crafts and trades of my choosing.
I have always been good at working with my hands and learned things very quickly.
I had a tremendous ego combined with a low self-esteem, and alpha-male personality. (Leo)
I did not play well with others and didn’t take shit from anybody.
This of course made me a difficult employee, combined with partying, aggressive behavior, and mental instability, I changed jobs frequently.
I had charm and charisma which would get me in the door.
I would often lose a job and con my way into a new job the very same day.
I eventually aquired a very wide skill set combined with a great work ethic which was taylored for all the trades associated with water, fire , wind, damage, and mold mitigation and restoration (insurance work)
In this my value in the field seemed to make a reasonable trade off for the difficulty of handling me as an employee because I was able to maintain employment despite my best efforts to lose a job.
My dominant personality and abilities made me a driven foreman. Though I wasn’t very well liked by my crews, I did have their respect because we’d get the job done fast and well.
In this line of work we were always responding to disasters all hours of the day and night. Constantly showing up to save the day and give people their lives and homes back. We’d save property, photo albums, keepsakes, and family airelooms. This gave me a heroic feeling and a sense of accomplishment that I love to this day.
Every job has been a little different and I have produced many solutions and adapted to many different circumstances.
My life has been much the same. Seemingly a series of disasters. Many of which were self created.
I used to have the worst luck and “Murphy’s law” was my guide. I would literally roll with the punches every day.
I would be surprised if something didn’t go horribly wrong in my day. Regardless of the problem, I would move directly to the solution “how do I fix this?” And if I couldn’t see the solution it was the two word solution for everything “Forget it” but the other F word.
To the point, I have aspired and strived for many things in my life and have had limited success. Some of my greatest success has been accepting where I have failed or fallen short.
The key I have found to my continued happiness and peace is by continuing to adapt. In doing so I have become adept in life, I keep going, I get up and never stay on the ground.
I have found there doesn’t have to be defeat.
The victory and achievement is realizing you’ve done what you were capable of doing and that’s enough.
Our measure is not by others or by self.
It is by God alone. It is not our plan but His that matters and in every experience is the opportunity for enlightenment.
Keep going, Jason
Groundhog Day
Go to sleep another day in vein Tried to drown my sorrows and all that pain
Four drinks in and I didn’t feel the same
As a matter of fact I couldn’t feel a thing
Something happens at around twelve drinks in
When I’m all alone and feel like I don’t have a friend
I turn the bottle up again thinking I should do myself in
I get angry and destroy everything around
I drank enough whisky to put an average man down
Why am I here again I say with my head low
What happened to me I do not know
I don’t understand how it’s all turned to shit
It’s everything, I just don’t get it
Everything is spinning I need to lay down
This is as good as any this spot on the ground
My head is humming buzzing in my ears
It’s the same thing again, I’ve been doing for years
My nightly prayer was to let it end
So I didn’t have to wake up like Groundhog Day and do it again
Waking in the morning angry at the world
Wife says what’s wrong with you, I say I woke up, what a pearl
I’m sick of this stuff
She was the one who had it rough
When it hurt bad enough I finally stopped
I remember praying a lot
I started going to meetings and just didn’t drink
I started listening to people I didn’t even know
Because they were sober and I had no place to go
Someone told me I should be proud of myself for being a jerk
It was the culmination of my entire life’s work
I should be happy and give myself a pat on the back
He asked if that made me angry, I wanted to give him a smack
I said yes
He said, that’s because It’s true you’re really a mess
The good news is you never have to feel this way again
All you have to do is change everything my friend
I have to admit I didn’t know what he meant then
He said what are you willing to do to get sober again
I’ll do anything, I want it to be over
Since then I’ve made many less mistakes when I started over
By doing whatever it takes, willingness to change has set me free
I had to trust somebody else so that I could see my drinking wasn’t the problem, the problem was me.
I had a living hell of a life that I created
I let go and was emancipated
God will set you free if you trust in him and do the work
Test the theory and see if it’s true begin to pray and it will happen for you, even I stopped being a jerk!
Recovered Alcoholic, Jason
Educated by Life
“If” we pay attention we learn our right relationship with the universe through our personal experience as it relates. (Mistakes or correct action)In other words over time we learn what works and doesn’t work (we can still choose to do things wrong against what is natural, knowing it doesn’t work, trying to force it because it’s comfortable, or we can practice what is right and uncomfortable until it’s comfortable and natural producing the proper result by righteous action.)
The many past perceptions which proved to be erroneous over time, were once our present state of mind. Perhaps our thinking in this moment today is incorrect. Possibly, hopefully we have learned from life experience and our judgement is better. The increments of learning are usually small and happen over a long period of time due to ego, obstinance, or plain stubbornness. When we are young we say “I know” or “I have this under control” (I got this) as to not let anyone flex their intellectual superiority on us (even when we didn’t know). I was fortunate enough at an early age to question everything and listen to what people had to say (l learned a lot right and wrong). In the same breath I can say in many cases I was only as properly informed as the sources of my answers. Always verify your sources and seek as many intelligent people you would emulate as you’re able with the same question (you may get that many different answers and they may all be wrong). If educated by the village idiot we may be in line for the title. Our best answers are given when we’re not asking or talking, unfortunately we usually have to hear them many times before we actually listen. When it comes to real personal experience there’s no better teacher. Test it out! Apply it to your life, does it work? Pain is a great motivator for correction if it hurts enough or brings us discomfort on any level we will normally avoid making the mistake again. I say normally because we will trade large amounts of pain, suffering and unhappiness for fleeting moments of euphoria or bliss. There’s something fundamentally screwed up with most of us. We’ll allow a cycle to continue for years until we decide the trade off is no longer worth the suffering. The point is really far away from most of what I wrote. It is GET TO KNOW YOURSELF AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD AND PEOPLE AROUND YOU, take time to access your journey (good and bad/blunders and achievements).
Simple questions to help but only s start;
Am I happy with my life right now? (Where we’re at in our lives right now is the culmination of our life’s work, if we’re not happy we should change)
Are the things I invest my time, talent, and money going to produce the life I hope for? (A friend told me where I put most of these things into is my God or Master in other words, the most important thing in my life)
Am I a giving person or a taker? (Balance in all relationships is key, I am not the center of the universe)
Is my present path sustainable or am I constantly waiting for something bad to happen? (Sometimes we get caught in a vicious cycle because we don’t want to change or just give up)
There is more than existing, but we have to be living. The events of life are momentary we’re not supposed to relive them over and over. The fact is we cant. We’re supposed to feel, access, learn, accept and move on. If you need help ask for it, seek a psychologist, group therapy, grief counseling or a clinical professional who can help you to find your happy life.
The secret to life is keep living!
Jason Byers
The Clock is Ticking
Time stamps a seal on all the things we do and feel somethings seem unreal
no matter how nice Nothing in life occurs twice Not for any price
All that we’ve been we will never be again
rules of time we cannot bend
Once we learn things are not the same It’s futile to live a life full of blame or shame
Forgive and let live it’s time for a change Take some time and rearrange
Your perspective will be clear if you let go of fear
Life is a vapor in the mist You can’t hold on to your first kiss Only sit back and reminisce
It’s how we move ahead that shows our worth if we stay behind we’re eventually lowered beneath the earth
Jump and shout or be quiet and still Whatever you do get your fill
We only have one life make it a thrill!
Jason
Word Therapy
This is a place that is totally me,
I have set myself completely free,
The blog posts within tell where I’ve been,
Deep feelings flow on a page,
Some veiled, cryptic, or full of rage,
Positive push and good tidings for you,
Healing remedies of thoughts I have used,
Confused emotions that I’ve lived through,
In this space I’m all over the place,
You never know what you might find
The ramblings of my mood a reflection of my mind,
All authentic completely exposed to you,
In this place I can be true,
I put myself out there to help others like me,
To know they’re not alone and that they can be free,
If what you read is not appealing, read a different post you might find it healing
Some of what I write is sad,
I may seem a little mad,
Most of the time I’m very glad,
Take what you can and leave the rest behind what I write won’t cost you a dime
I hope to never waste your time,
Be blessed, that’s my rhyme,
Jason
Slightly Worn
What do you do when the shine has wore off
the newness is gone
the thing you once possessed so vibrant and full of life
all the perceived expectations and excitement lived
the newness is gone
it has now been loved fully and in this process nearly ruined
as all my favorite things are
loved so much they’re worn out completely do I love it the same or love it more because all I’ve gotten out of it!
Like the old pair of shoes that finally became comfortable but when it rains they take on water
the hat that fits just right but looks dirty
My comfortable T-shirt and jeans with the holes that I love, but when I wear them I look like a disheveled homeless person
This is not an object I speak of it’s my life
I look to my life and know that all the newness that once was there I rubbed off personally
every mark, blemish, stain, spot , and scar on my life, I have earned and worked very hard for
good and bad creaking, popping parts, scars, and dings are not flaws or fractures but character & beauty all creative parts of the evidence of my existence
The story in a piece of art
I continue to wear it, I proudly put it on everyday
It’s one of a kind
There’s no other like it on earth
Created by The Master Craftsman for a unique purpose
I look at my life and see
laughing and tears
Pain and healing
Struggles and victory
Death and life
Yin and yang
Most of all I have seen the workings of my life and the affect it has had on others and the understanding of greater purpose glad suffering and a penitent heart,
I look forward to the story to come, I’m going to keep sewing the holes and trying to polish the shine back on it, as I cherish the gift I was given.
Jason
Sensitive, Life of an Empath
A sense of emotion swallows me whole
I fall off the cliff with you as my heart is pulled from my chest
The lump in my throat is too big to swallow
My mother told me when I was a child
“You can’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, it’s just too heavy”
Quite often I understand what others don’t but it doesn’t make it better
to ignore it and deny you is to deny myself
To embrace you is another cut on my heart the open wound of my soul has room and is full of Gods love
I realize I used to isolate out of fear of feeling your pain, over elation or anxiety
It’s not only the doldrums or other extremes though negative energy seems to dominate the majority
It’s the dancing of my mind and spirit from one to the next in my ever changing environments
The rush in the air and excitement of events make me tense
I find myself overstimulated like a little baby that’s had too much activity
The joy that brings tears is my favorite
When someone feels blessed by God
overcome with joy to the point of weeping my heart is softened as to feel the joy of Angels
A babies laugh wipes everything away if for only a moment
there’s nothing present but the elation of the child
I will laugh with you
worry with you
sigh with you
cry with you
and a piece of me will die with you.
I will be there with your spirit
Help you up when you’re down
I will pick you up off the ground
Realizing we’re not alone
feel for someone to the bone
that’s how love is really shown
~ J ~
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