Gifts We Cannot Buy

The quiet of home when we
Return from wrestling lions all day.
The satisfaction of writing letters,
Poems, songs for loved ones.
The taste of a meal carefully
Prepared with helpings of love.
A comfortable chair, bright light,
Books we are longing to read.
Songs we never realized existed
But for which we find a soul hunger.
A dog, cat, lizard, goat, cow, whoever
Comes snuggles up, revealing devotion.
Stolen hours when hearts, souls
Are permitted freedom to dance art.
Picking up a crying child, watching
As eyes go wide, kissed by a smile.
The sweet hug of those treasured
Who we raised despite everything.
Traveling to a far-off wonderland,
Returning to a space of belonging.
Knowing, growing with screen friends,
Finally, meeting with hugs, face to face.
Sunshine after a bleak succession
Of wickedly dark, sad stormy days.
The alabaster moon coming from behind
Clouds, in time for a sweetheart kiss.
Setting aside specific times to find those
Moments to sincerely pray to the Lord.
Laying down, fed, safe, warm, beneath
Covers, falling into deep refreshing sleep.
Awaking to a day full of opportunity,
Possibility, without doubt, we are loved.
Living in a blessed place where each one
Can achieve hopes, dreams, and success.

Befriending

Everyone needs loving
When the world turns icy gray
Those times that things go astray,
But also when all seems right –
And dancing lasts day to night.
All the glorious notes together
Can change the internal weather
Allowing the most joyful songs,
Every age can sing along
Faces brightening with delight.
The sun comes arising,
In eyes hopeful and surprised;
Time becomes a tender comfort
When strangers become fast friends.

Prompt: The weather is rather frightful in many places; pull up a stool at the bar, create something to ameliorate the awful conditions outside.

Gratitude:
I went into town and got groceries and miscellaneous after five weeks without doing so.
I have hope to feel better now that I have diet soda and food I like.
Music.
Getting my phone to sync with the Explorer.
My friend Reba is a lifesaver, literally.

You all know the drill. Comments, shares, suggestions, and likes are the icing on the cake of writing.

All material © Jo Ann J. A. Jordan, on Haphazard Creative and Chronicles.

Apt Riposte

The sword within the hottest flame
Is tested by the perfervid heat
When removed, it is full fearsome,
An object of searing white-hot beauty.
Quenched in frosty waters, then
Withdrawn, it becomes a weapon
Designated to banish foul atrocity
Protecting what is noble with honor.
If thus, each beating heart resolved,
Earth would more a place of love –
Continue with many fewer problems,
And an overflowing soul of kindness.

Prompt: Create something with myriad layers of meaning. See if your audience can penetrate the veneer.

Extremely Thankful:
I made it through the night and day, though extremely ill.
Wookie is an aspiring nursemaid.
Sleep is a tonic.
I scrounged up some caffeine without Diet Cokes.
Reba and Alex called me.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Haphazard Creative. In the sidebar, you will find three ways to follow the site. Choose yours, or come back as time allows you. Comments, likes, shares, suggestions, thoughts are sought and welcomed. May God bless and keep you and yours in every way.

All work on Chronicles and Haphazard Creative is © Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

Future Turning

Today, as here it stands,
May be a day different
Than our buoyant hope,
Or even resilient want.
To address it with our best
We may need to lay hands
Upon the selves we cherish,
Calling out a presence before
Undiscovered, unrecognized.
The quiet fortitude barely known
May stand us good stead through
Hours we otherwise could scarce
Share or even envision to be.
No fearsome ancestor could
Reveal the complications
Suddenly become a reality,
Humanity a bit further than
Itself has gone, so now we catch on.
Dreams, hardly hidden shimmer
With creative promise to emerge;
We walking briskly forward, ready,
Assuming the future ours to consume;
This moment belongs to us,
Who bravely overtake what was,
Reaching beyond ourselves to greatness.

Prompt: The pandemic, quarantine, has changed many things. Likely, we will never go back to what was. Create something that goes forward with all the colors of experience you can manage.

Always Grateful:
Writing survives.
Books entertain, inform, carry me on.
I caught some extra quiet today.
The cuckoo clock that calls me to attend to time.
Tribble and Wookie force me to go outdoors.

Thank you for visiting. If you wish, follow methods are in the sidebar. Your comments, likes, shares, suggestions, and thoughts are fantastic encouragement.

Everything on Haphazard Creative is ©Jo Ann J. A. Jordan.

Making It Happen

When writing or art comes straight through the Muse (Creativity), it is easy to create, but it becomes a more complicated process when the inspiration dries up. One has to reach deeper, think harder, be more persistent, and attempt coaxing imagination out to play.

This state is not ideal. There is not a full-blown block, but work becomes a challenge.

Writers may find helpful short forms like haiku or tanka. Different locations may inspire many. Meeting and socializing with a variety of people can inspire unique perspectives. All creatives could benefit from novel experiences that inform creation. Craft books are often useful. Reading, video, and music can enchant and educate us, bringing fresh material to mind.

For those who engage in daily practice, continuing is essential. As in all things, one’s mastery benefits from not giving up.

Habits of calm and quiet can also induce states conducive to the breaking of creativity into consciousness. To slow down, invoke peace, still the racing of body and mind facilitates copious production.

Taking leave from the busyness of screens makes room for thoughts unbiased by advertisement, frantic activity, and media to surface. Constant immersion in the digital world can sometimes drain away originality.

Conversation with family, friends, and others may also add filler to the well. Long walks with rapt attention to surroundings can awaken capacities often drown in routine.

Always remember, love and creativity, though perhaps muted, are present. Do not quit. Capture hope, ideas, joy, for those are available and plentiful when actively pursued.

Prompt: Pick something from the article above and immediately add it to your practice.

Salad by Richard – © Jo Ann J. A. Jordan

Gratitude:
Visiting Richard, conversation, food, moments.
Coming home allows less tension and stressful feelings.
Not physically disciplining the Wookie for destroying my cushion.
My command center.
Talking to Alex and Reba.

I appreciate your spending time here at Haphazard Creative. I hope you found things enjoyable and informative. Your comments, likes, shares, and suggestions are of immense help with this year-long endeavor. If you wish, you will find three methods in the sidebar to choose from for following the site. Alternatively, you may come back at your leisure.