Maybe it’s an intention to do at least one kind thing today or to make no less than one person smile. Or allowing myself just ten minutes more of silence to savor, that blanket of joy with hands placed gently over heart and belly. Maybe it’s tuning in to the elm tree, noticing how it sheds its bark and amber leaves, preparing for a new beginning. Or appreciating the frogs voiced elation after days of rain. Maybe it’s stopping to look into the eyes of loved ones, truly listening to what is on their mind in this moment. Or it could be making a list of what I know must get done, then setting it aside in reverence to the promise of this new day. Carolyn Chilton Casas is a Reiki master and teacher whose favorite themes to write about are nature, mindfulness, and ways to heal. Her articles and poems have appeared in journals and anthologies in multiple countries including The Wonder of Small Things: Poems of Peace and Renewal . More of Carolyn’s work can be found o
I TOOK A SHORT WALK by Lisa O'Neil-Guerci I heard the music of wind and water as I took a short walk today. Nature had graciously asked if I wanted to join in their afternoon of play. I might have known I'd step into their home- that they of course would become the words of another autumnal poem. That I'd come upon and smile to see a heart-shaped yellow leaf propped against an oak tree~ both seeming to be waiting patiently for me. I should have guessed that sorghum and cattails would be slow dancing with each other... of course they would~ it was clear to see they're longtime friends turned lovers. I then inclined my gaze upwards towards branches which held the sun tenderly in their arms. A few leaves were stained with the first blood of the season's russet hue it shouldn't surprise me that the afternoon sky would be so perfectly blue~ and that the white lambs of clouds would scatter... changing shape as the breeze coaxed them along~