Author: Wayne Everbeck

Why did Jesus and Buddha have to teach others?
It sounds to me like being enlightened was not enough
So they had to share it with others

We will never know their internal dialog or reasoning to lend a helping hand
If the major role models of a religion were teachers
Is it enough to be just a follower?

Are the teachers more enlightened than the students?
Should it be your calling to spread the good word with others?
How could you justify anything else?
Would this make you altruistic or completely self centered?

Could we live like these famous teachers without religion?
If they knew they were starting a religion would they have stopped?

We don’t know about Buddha or Jesus until they were 30
Does that mean everything I do until then will be forgiven if I change the world?
Does anyone know a good school that offers a credential?
I have 4 years

I feel the best way to get over my thoughts is to accept them.
If I don’t accept my thoughts they fester in my head
I don’t accept the thoughts as truth, just their existence

Once they are acknowledged I cannot deny their existence.
I try to hold them loosely and
Not let them direct me or my expectations.

Keeping my ideas in check is a very difficult process.
Writing down my thoughts is like personal therapy
From my head into the alphabet soup on the page

By accepting my thoughts I can share them and move on
Thoughts catch up with me eventually so
Damming them is not my best approach.

The more I fight the ideas the more they fight back.
Let the idea cast the first stone
Then put it on paper.

Does it look different to you when it is written?

The greatest trick the Devil ever played was convincing the world he did not exist
Make your Devil real and confront it.
Maybe you will learn something from yourself or open your eyes to new possibilities

Once you accept that you might be weird, unique, or crazy
You start to realize that dealing with your issues makes
You more human than the ever expected

If the most satisfaction you get from your day is crossing something off
your to do list
Then something is wrong.
It may keep you busy.
But you are really not fully present when you are doing the things on your list

You are doing them to complete them
and move onto the next item
The road to hell is paved with good intentions

Nothing on a list is holding you back
You have the potential to be perfect
The secret is happiness

Happiness is not a thing but a feeling

You know the feeling I am talking about
Even trying to describe it
Decreases its power

It can happen at any moment
You just need to be open to it
And appreciate it

These moments are what living is all about
Embrace your situation
And create heaven on earth

Personally a lot of my thought has gone into this question. So instead of thinking about an answer to this question, I decided to go for a run instead. After my run, I established that living is a privilege and should be treated as such. I live for the present moment. I allow myself for some personal time to center myself for the whole day. This relaxation allows me to calm down and to avoid getting wrapped up in superficial things. I try to slow my mind down and focus on my breathing. Only when I am truly relaxed can I appreciate the present moment and enjoy life for what it is, not what I expect or want it to be. This space is where the truth and happiness lies.

Wayne Everbeck
Age 25

I have a problem with the phrase:
The Past is the Past
The Future is the Future
And the Present is a present

presents are items that we hope in the future will bring happiness
presents are temporary.
Examined
Played with
Discarded

The Present is
The Present is infinite….
Receiving
Holding
Inspecting
Opening
Discarding the wrapped box.

Derive joy from the Present not from the presents.

God bless us, everyone!

Why do I have to look at my email and Facebook every time I open my computer?
Staying busy is a fad
God forbid that we are lazy

As I look at myself in the mirror
I wonder where does my face belong?
Acceptance is a good thing

Life is happening

I need to p

Three rules of Fraternity Bathroom Etiquette
1. Wash your hands every time
2. Put the seat down
3. If you need to sit down to pee you are drunk.

The quieter the outside world is the
Louder your inner thoughts can become
Then you have to face the root of all your problems

Yourself

So we avoid it
By keeping busy
Filling calendars with plans

All while ignoring our inner needs
With hopes they will be fulfilled externally
By that new car, phone, house, relationship

This will only satisfy your ego temporarily
And over time…
Will lead you to pain in some form or another

Twice in my life I made extensive wish list of all my material wants
And both times I succeeded in getting every item off that list
However all that I was left with was a feeling of disappointment and more stuff

Looking back I felt the most alive when I had no-thing at all
Cause I had a feeling of true accomplishment and a healthy dose of pride

Accomplishment is not receiving things or completing things
Accomplishment is knowing that what you are doing is right

Consumerism has not worked for me
So now it is time for a new approach

With two sets of directions
He leaves work
At 2:00 PM Pacific Standard Time

Knowing full well
He will hit Friday traffic

The linear progression
And accuracy of his calculations
Facilitates his timely arrival

His pragmatism makes him believe
He can manage the flow
Of a changing world

However, his mental assumption of staying put
Is literally called into question

As she champions the idea of
Moving closer to the train station

He avoids getting defensive by staying present
And uses this opportunity to showcase
His adaptability and preparedness

Utilizing the second set of directions
Gets them within blocks of emotional security

After finding an open space
They park and stop at a world café

With drinks in hand
The organic conversation begins

He describes actively listening to her
Is like trying to collect rainfall during a brain storm

Her success comes in the form of paying clients
And passion is for helping those unable to
Her tool kit is filled with relationship building, mind maps, and qualitative analysis

He describes himself as an internal structural consultant
Of an under resourced elementary school
His instruments include jump ropes, kick balls, and appreciation circles
Though their professional cultures diverge greatly
Their shared language and vision
Unites their goal of continuous process improvement

With the time ticking
They embrace with a hug

Global achievement is truly measured
By honest smiles, warm embraces, and honest feedback

For these colleagues will continue to collaborate

The blow across my face

Is so ingrained

That not feeling it

 

Wakes me

To the safety of my own bed

 

It is the first night of Spring Break

I am too bothered to sleep

 

(On Reflection)

I help a drunken mother

Up a mountain of stairs

She teeters and totters

Before falling to the ground

 

I leave

To clear my head

 

I come back home

A term I use loosely

 

To find a bathroom filled with silence

The sound of confrontation usually starts

Quieter than a whisper

 

A stereo is plugged in next to the tub

The dank room smells of drunken lust

I find my clothes drowning face down in the toilet

 

A parent apparently didn’t think

That I cleaned up after myself

 

I scoff under my breath

My frustration is palpable

Even upstairs my father can taste

My rage of injustice

 

He asks “WHAT?”

I roll my head in disgust

Knowing it’s a lost cause

Fighting with a lost cause

I never learned to shut up

For that long

 

I stand my ground in opposition

I don’t have to say anything

 

My presence alone signals my defiance

I ready for the strike across my face

 

When the pain doesn’t come

The adrenaline grabs for the pen

 

My past has ensured that this first vacation night

Will not be a restful one.

 

 

Poetry doesn’t work

A nine to five

 

Nor does she live in the good part or

Bad part of town

 

But in the thick of everything

 

In the second story apartment

Above the burlesque jazz club

With the daily open mic night

 

She picks up shifts

When it is convenient for her

 

Living dollar to dollar

Selling rhythmic glimpses of her flesh

 

She is naturally seductive

Flirting with both women and men

 

She leaves you

Amazed and awed

 

But when you need her

You are left baffled

Scratching your head

 

STUCK

 

Knowing that your next fling with Poetry

May bring you power and clarity

You so deeply desire

 

She giggles while writers spend

Patience and sanity on her

 

She is very fickle and sometimes

Runs at the sight of a pen

 

But if you can catch her eye

The moment stands still

And the page becomes beautifully filled.