Slice of Life: Words for Good

Kids and kittens: a joy

Our holidays are quieter– our kids and most of our grandkids are grown. Our furry friends have passed on, and we sit together in front of the fireplace, amazed at the quiet, the time of our own to converse or read or … Too quiet. Too quiet. So, we adopt a new kitty whose face is always saying, “I am so cute, don’t you think?”

Yes. “She’s so cute…” we say as we tuck away the cords to devices so she won’t bite them.

Yes, “She’s so cute…” we say as she races through the house, flying from couch to footstool to desk to window.

Yes, “She’s so cute…” we say as she attacks our feet as we we walk away.

Yes, “She’s so cute…” we say as she tosses yet another crocheted toy around, arching her back, and attacking it, then turns on us: Ow! No biting! And she stops.

Yes, “She’s so cute…” we say as she does chin ups on the handle to the oven door as I dice the veggies on the counter because she wants to be up high with me.

Yes, “She’s so cute…” we say as we pick up the broken knick-knack crashed on the floor when she slipped off the dresser, pulling on the doily with her claws and pulling everything down with her.

Yes, “She’s so cute…” we say as she finally curls up to purr and nap.

Like a kid: she’s learning and growing and being the best she can be. It’s so fun watching her figure out how to be the best climber, batter, sniffer, searcher, mouser, roller, cuddler.

And yes, she’s the best and cutest at finding the hiding place in the Christmas gift bag.

And yes, she is the hope that life goes on, and we can still laugh and enjoy the little things no matter the worries elsewhere.

Elsewhere this Christmas day, a Tuesday, I found more hope in poems under the hashtag #haikuforhope

“the poet we seek to become” Seth and Kevin say. I am intrigued by the words “world filled with empty noise.” That’s what is happening: the onslaught of chaos in the news is now empty noise. It’s not normalized or normal: it’s just empty noise, and we fill it instead with our struggle to continue to make the world better. We engage with our daily routines of work and play, of engaging with our kids and kittens and puppies [I can’t leave them out] and friends. And we choose better words. We speak truth with our own words and often they become poems.

Here’s what Kevin shared, his words, his choices, his poem, his song for a better world, for hope and peace:

Be sure to click the link to his blog for the song of peace [his son made the video].

Another friend, Margaret Simon — a published poet — shared this:

Margaret often writes posts for #haikuforhope and each Friday posts with several others a “Poetry Friday.” In the sidebar is a link to her book Bayou Song, poetry in a book about her home in the Bayou.

Each of us sees our world in our way, and our words help others understand that– and keeping the normal to positive sharing and listening will make the world better. On this day of hope [and each religion has their own day of hope], I hope we remember that we have a choice in our words and sharing. And we can add wisdom with our words– not perfect, but certainly pertinent and poetic in their own way. We can bring forth the daily positives of how we create the world around us in better ways, how we document the beauty and passion around us. We can share the “she’s so cute” addition to a too quiet world, or a song of peace or paddling a canoe in the Bayou.

As Kevin shared what Seth Godin says, “”In a world filled with empty noise, the most important slots are reserved for the poets we seek to listen to, and the poet we seek to become.”

So, do write some #haikuforhope to bring the best of the world thoughts forward, above the ’empty noise,’ and beyond those that divide and deter us from what surely must be our province: to better the world.

It doesn’t need to be perfect– mine certainly are not [haiku], but do choose words for good, for hope. Better the world.


WC: 743

Art and photos by Sheri

This blog is an invitation and a response to Anna’s Challenge invitation: More MoDigiwri! [More Digital Writing]

And here’s the challenge:

So, we’re inviting you to engage in a combo of these two challenges, writing digitally every day to jump start your writing… and sharing and responding to others who are doing the same!

The writing can be about anything and come in any formUse the hashtag #modigiwri if you want to help people find your posts!

 

5 Comments

on “Slice of Life: Words for Good
5 Comments on “Slice of Life: Words for Good
  1. I’m thinking of your blog post title — Words for Good, and our hope that we can construct or maybe reconstruct a better world through language, and then into action. I also think Words for Good might be a good band name. (’cause I am always thinking that, it seems).
    Kevin

    • I agree Kevin. Actually, the cat distracted me after I’d already written the title, so I meandered through that “good” distraction until I could write what about my original idea.And sometimes, I think that’s what life is: a meandering to make good from whatever happens.

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