Monday, October 15, 2012

Monday Mantra: Be Soft. Love Freely.



mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation".

Every Monday I will post a new thought, idea, or focus for the week. When you need a breather from life, when you need a little inspiration, or when you're about to jump over the conference table and strangle your co-worker, remember the mantra.


Monday Mantra:  Do not let the world make you hard. Be soft. Love freely. 
"I promise to plant kisses like seeds on your body, so in time you can grow to love yourself as I love you."
- Tyler Knott Gregson


My apologies, gang, on just getting this out. I went to this aerial yoga class after work at Tough Lotus, where you hang from cloth tied to the ceiling and do Cirque do Soleil type flips, and the blood flow has just now returned to my brain, as well as the feeling to most of my fingers. Most of them. The left hand is questionable still. Obviously, I signed up for more classes. That's another story, though. Today I want to talk about love.

I once saw a quote that said, "Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place." I always think about that second line, not letting the world make you hard. Not letting the bad steal the good from you, or letting the hate steal your love. 

I've recently discovered this TV series in my Netflix que called Revenge. In it is a young woman who was lied to as a child by traitors of her father, who had him arrested and framed for killing a bunch of innocent people. This woman, Emily/Amanda, is now seeking revenge on each of those people who helped frame her father. She has a childhood friend, Jack, who is madly in love with her (and she secretly with him, from what I gather), however, it's not in her plan to love him. It's in her plan to pretend to love the son of one of the families she's seeking revenge on.

When I sit there watching the show I can't help but occasionally yell at her across the room to give up her plans and go be with the man she loves. Crazy, I know. It's so frustrating, in a world (granted, a TV world) where people search out and seek love day in and day out, that she has it - that kind of love - and is walking away from it for revenge. I know, it's not real, but it's irritating.

The other day I happened upon a Pinterest (of course) picture of one of the most beautiful verses of poetry I'd ever seen, written by a gentleman named Tyler Knott. I spent the next couple of days (somewhat crazily) looking through all of his work on his website. I couldn't get enough. In a world where walls are put up, words are left unsaid, and true love seems like a fantasy, he makes you believe it's not. He makes you believe it's possible. He makes you feel. 

One of my favorite poetry quotes is from Frank Lloyd Wright where he says, "The scientist has marched in and taken place of the poet.  But one day somebody will find the solution to the problems of the world and remember, it will be a poet, not a scientist." I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be that poet, but I think Tyler may be better suited for the job. And rightly so. Read a few of his pieces and you'll see why, and hopefully after reading some you will remember to be soft. To love freely and without fear. To not let the world shape you, but for you, instead, to shape it.






This is probably my favorite. Particularly the last paragraph.



If you like his work and would like to follow me on Pinterest, I have about a dozen or so of his poems on my "I Love This Just Because" board. And I'll be adding more. The man's a genius, what can I say?


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All images via www.tylerknott.com

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