Make Acceptance Your Friend. There Will Be Violets.

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I See No Gate…Until I Do  ©2015 Bo Mackison

Stop fixing, stop pushing, stop forcing my will.
All that fixing and pushing and forcing…
none of it makes any difference.

The advice is solid and intellectually
I agree. Of course I see the folly
of relentless effort with no results.

The billy-goat butts a fence and never sees the gate a step away,
I’m fenced in, too, the opening’s within my glance.
Yet with eyes fixed on the ground, I walk in circles.

A gate? I see no gate…until I do.

The whisper of acceptance slips through the gate.
Such a tiny breath it takes as it draws near.

I ignore the whisper. (I’m stubborn that way.)

I hide under blankets where no breeze refreshes.
That doesn’t stop acceptance from nuzzling my ear,
whisper-singing lullabies of ease and calm.

No promises does acceptance offer,
but its ever quiet manner calls attention
to the wisdom of letting go.

My grandfather, he would say
“tell it like it is, then be done.”
He was quiet man, my grandfather, and he was wise.

And I say, I am not sorry.
About the fight. This fight
I swore I’d never quit.

I fought hard in the midst of the whole miserable affair.
Depression as my foe; my best friend, too.
My bed partner and life partner. My lover and destroyer.

I cried the battle cries, bled from nearly fatal wounds.
And now I see, acceptance is the harder battle.

I’m calling it quits. And shaking hands with acceptance.
No more cowering when fear overwhelms,
no smashing glass walls in anger.

All the messes in my life, I’d like to call them friends,
say I’ve learned from those experiences.
Some day I’ll speak those words. With courage.

For the record, it’s been one crap shoot
after another, unpredictable. Risky.
And still, here I stand and say.

This life. It’s a good one.
Violets blossom in the grass, my shoes well soaked with dew.

Acceptance – A Prairie Wisdom Card

Cosmos

Cosmos © 2013 Bo Mackison

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. ~ Lao Tzu

When we can’t change our reality, the key to peace and a life-long happiness is to accept that which is. Not deny what life is handing us, nor sugar coat the problems. But practice acceptance at what this moment holds. Life happens. It is hard in the present to see the gifts that a difficult or unexpected situation can offer. But challenges often gift us with new perspectives and opportunities.

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.  ~ Søren Kierkegaard

The ACCEPTANCE card offers activities for contemplation, art, and writing and a call to action:

  • Art and contemplative activities: Arrange objects on a small altar. Include objects embody characteristics of imperfection, objects that are tarnished, rusted or frayed. Add natural items that are weathered or cracked. Notice the beauty in these imperfections. Show acceptance for the natural cycle of growth, decay and death.
  • Journal writing activity: Journal about a challenging past event in your life. Write about the lessons learned or the gifts received through your experience.
  • Call to action: Take a walk in the natural world. Pay special attention to the different cycles of nature. Notice the depth and beauty in the fading flowers and grasses, the fleeting shadows on the pavement.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.  Bo is creating a set of Prairie Wisdom Cards, second in a series of cards based on natural habitats, and used for exploration and discovery.