Poetry Corner: Friendship on Fire

Hello again peeps!

Sorry I have been a little slow on the upswing here...but there has been some major re-adjusting to be done in my life and somehow, blogging just needed to take a back seat.

Today, I would like to share wee poem I wrote about passionate friendships.

Enjoy!

Friendship on Fire

 

When minds

Collide

In soul

In flesh…

They mesh like webs

               Flow and ebbs

               Of truth and love

               Tears from above

Fall into tangles of

               Passion…

               Desire

This friendship on fire

Keeps them warm

               From the cold

And then they do fold

               One hand

               Into the other

Quiet moments

Under cover

            Eye to eye

            Heart to heart

What was the end…

Is now the start.

 - Lora Rossi, October, 2013

Smiles,

Lora

Finding Words

"Writing about a writer's block is better than not writing at all."

 - Charles Bukowski 

(The Last Night of the Earth Poems)

I am at a loss for words.

I know, right?

Me.

Dudes! I am as dumbfounded as you are!

At. A. Loss. For. Words.

A rarity, I realize.

And I am trying to figure out why.

I mean...I kinda figured that a several-months-long blogging hiatus coupled with a lot of major changes in my personal life would be fodder for a veritable explosion of bloggitude!

This is what an explosion of bloggitude looks like.
In case you were wondering.
And I know you were.
You're welcome.

And all I seem to be coming up with...are words like "bloggitude" that don't even exist.

Not good.

Perhaps I am in shock.

Maybe I need more time.

I could be so overwhelmed by everything that is in my head that it has rendered me frozen.

But the thing is...I know it's in there.

I can feel the need to get stuff out...to purge...to express...to share...

To write!

I guess...I just don't know where the frick to start.

Where does one start when life as one knows it completely changes in so many ways?

I mean...if this blog is my story...then lemme tell ya peeps...this here...this is definitely the beginning of a new chapter.

In fact, I even pondered the idea of putting The Hugging Home to bed and starting something new.

But then I stopped to ponder that idea further.

And the it hit me.

Life is about change.

Shit happens.

Doors close...windows open.

Ya fall down, ya gotta pick yourself up.

Rebuild. Redefine. Reinvent.

Time to rebuild!

In short...my story is not finished yet.

I may be in a different home...but it is still one full of hugs and love and all the things that are true and dear in my heart of hearts.

This is still The Hugging Home.

My family is not broken. It has simply (or not so simply) taken on a new form.

My husband - from whom I am now legally separated - is no longer my life partner - but he is still an important part of my life and always will be.

He is the father of my three, beautiful boys and we are learning by trial and error how to be successful co-parents and friends. As every couple who goes through the un-coupling process knows - especially when the partnership has been a long one (ours was 17 years) and involves children - it is about stumbling and tripping and figuring things out as you go along.

But I digress.

Because apparently I just stumbled - hem hem - upon a topic that would make a pretty good post all on it's own. In fact...it could probably be split into several. So I will leave it at that for now and make a mental note to continue on the topic later.

Ha! I'm coming back!

You see...I just decided to do what I have always done when mental block hits: JUST START WRITING.

And so I did.

Smiles,

Lora

I'm Back!!! (Did Ya Miss Me?)

“There are as many worlds as there are kinds of days, and as an opal changes its colors and its fire to match the nature of a day, so do I.” 

 - John Steinbeck

So here I am again.

To my loyal readers who don’t know me personally – perhaps you thought I had dropped off the face of the earth.

Add caption

And I am sorry that you have been so worried.

Please cancel the police searches, the sign campaigns, he talk show blitzes.

Nope. Not in there dudes.

Indeed…I did – so to speak – come pretty close to the edge of the earth…and at times I felt like jumping…but no.

I’m still here.

See? Hello again!

But it has been one hell of a frickin’ looooooooooooooooooooong summer peeps.

I will get in to it in some (but not specific) detail in an upcoming post…but for now, I will tell you the following:

1.       I have a new domain name. Frick. This pisses me off. But my credit card expired and the company that hosts my domain tried and tried and tried to tell me to update my info so that I could renew it (thehugginghome.com)…but I was too busy dealing with the other reason why my blog took a hike for the summer….and so I lost it. Because someone else bought it. And then tried to sell it to me for $1000.00. I know. Frick that.

1. 2    So my NEW domain name is http://thehugginghome.ca. Yes….. .CA! For all of my non-Canadian followers, that stands for Canada. Because I am Canadian. Makes sense eh? Please take a moment now to update this in your favourites. My blog IS in your favourites…right? (And by the way, us Canadians spell favourite with a “u” – so please don’t write me of as a dumb blonde. I have my moments…but this is not one of them.)

I'm back. You can relax.
Right on eh?

1. 3    I will put this one plainly. This summer, my husband and I (after a great deal of soul-searching and time) mutually decided to part ways. I won’t (and won’t in the future) get into the tiny details…I don’t believe that is for public consumption…but I will say that there were no third parties involved, we continue to put our children first and are committed to being successful co-parents. We are both good people and good parents…we just are not the best partners for each other. So yeah. I’m separated. And I share custody of my three boys 50/50. Not “the hugging home” I had planned for…but still one none the less.
2. 
   

 

As long as these guys are around, hugs will always rule!

So there you have it.

I have lots floating around in my noggin that I know I need to write about.

Thanks for waiting and for coming back for a visit.

The welcome mat is back out.

See?

Come on in, grab a seat and have a coffee.

Stay a while.

I appreciate the company.

Smiles,

Lora

Wellx Article #43: On Keeping it Real Gals!

Helllllloooooooo friends!

I know you want to read them all...so here's a link to my first 42 articles published by WellX here. Enjoy!

We are not perfect.

We are real.

And that is what makes us beautiful.

Here's the link to my latest piece:


Real Women  By: Lora Rossi  June 20,  2013

Thanks as always to Brad and Mel and everyone at WellnessX for continuing to share my work and for their on-going support and great work with the wellness community!

Smiles,

Lora

Poetry Corner: The Mast

I have so many poems that I have not published...and am so pressed for time these days...so I thought I would publish a few more as not to bore you with blog posts about...well...nothing. LOL

I am not going to explain my poems.

Like any type of art, I believe a piece should speak to the reader in whatever way it does.

And so it is....

The Mast

Because he loved her
Soft fur
Against her cheek
In but a week
Feels warmer now
She wonders how
He'll feel this time
Next year?

And yet she knows inside
This ride
A slide
Though fast
A mast
He'll build to sail her
Round their land
Sea, wind and sand
Away from here
Brush off her tear
A year
Is now forever. 

By: Lora Rossi -  May, 2012


Smiles,

Lora

Word Flow

"There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter - and bleed."

 - Ernest Hemingway

I write this on a Sunday afternoon...propped up against the pillows on my bed...wondering if I should write or take a nap.

I will probably do both...a little writing...a little napping.

Sometimes I really feel like writing...and I have this urge to say something...only I don't really know what that "something" is.

I trust the urge, however, and just start writing.

There I am. Pigtails and all.

Like right now.

So far...nothing terribly enlightening.

Maybe it's the pigtails.
Perhaps they are too tight?
It's not the blonde.
That is a constant!

It has come to my attention that with each passing year, the Great Toronto Area here in Canada - where I live - seems to be getting closer to having 2 seasons rather than 4. We are either complaining about how frickin' freezing cold it is or complaining about the heat and humidity.

What this has to do about anything is beyond me. Oh....stream-of-consciousness writing!

For a few short weeks between these two extremes, we have the "nice" weather of "Spring" and "Autumn". Those few weeks of weather that seems "just right"...so comfortable and pleasant that going inside just seems sinful.

It is not one of those days.

Today it is June and by now the summer weather has kicked in.

It is hot and it is humid.

Thank you Jesus for central air.

Handling my 2-year-olds tantrums about not wanting to go down for his nap are a little more wearing on my ears when the air feels heavier.

I much prefer this happy, little dude!

The thought of cooking near the heat of the stove seems exhausting.

So I'll make a sandwich.

I wish I had a pool.

But I don't.

Here I am at someone else's pool.
OK. Not me.
But a reasonable facsimile!

OK. This IS me.
See...flower in the hair and everything.

Nap time!

And now it is Sunday evening.

Yeah...I had that nap. Then played with my 2 year old. Then went to the store. And here I am again.

Feeling like writing with little to write about at the moment.

Perhaps I should write a poem.

Word Flop

Writing
Fighting to get the words
to flow
I go
into a state...
stalemate!
I try to think of themes...
of dreams I know I've had
to add
something new
for you to chew.
But this one...
you'll spit out
no doubt...
because I don't know what to say
and yet I stay.
Is that OK?
It's my blog...
and like a frog...
I jump around.
Just words...no sound.
until I fall...
And hit the wall.
Until I stop.
Then flop.

Lora Rossi, June, 2013

Well....that was no better. LOL

Welcome and good bye from one of the most pointless blog posts I have ever written. Almost as exciting as my blog post about nothing.

Uhhhh....I believe I just did.
Again.

Rossi....out!

Smiles,

Lora

Wellx Article #42: On Keeping Vision Journals

Hey peeps!

I know you want to read them all...so here's a link to my first 41 articles published by WellX here. Enjoy!

I am a strong believer in The Law of Attraction and as a tool - I keep Vision Journals.

Whether I am looking to manifest something in particular or change many things in my life...or even just clarify what it is that I want in the next chapter(s) of my journey here on earth, I find that keeping on-going Vision Journals (or boards - which I have done as well!) are very useful.

A page from one of my many Vision Journals.

Here's the link to my latest piece:


Project Reinvention: The Vision Journal  By: Lora Rossi  June 7,  2013

And another.

Thanks as always to Brad and Mel and everyone at WellnessX for continuing to share my work and for their on-going support and great work with the wellness community!

Smiles,

Lora

Life is for Living!

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

 - Oscar Wilde

Do you have a mantra?

I mean, do you have something that you say to yourself when you are feeling down or stuck or in a rut?

Mine is pretty simple.

I say to myself, "Life is for living."

Yup.
That's what I said.

Sounds kind of redundant, I realize, but if you really think about it, it means much more than the words themselves.

I often find myself lost in the monotony of everyday life...the rush of it all...the seemingly sameness of my days...that I fail to savour any of it.

I get up, do the mother thing, do the work thing, do the housework thing...la di da di da...and one day blends into the next as if it is one, long marathon of trying to catch up.

Basically, I feel as if I've lost my head.

But what, really, am I trying to catch up to?

The finish line?

Because the "finish line" of the day, turns into the race of the next and so on and so forth.

The "finish line" of the week, turns into the race of the next and so on and so forth.

The "finish line" of the month, turns into the race of the next and so on and so forth.

The "finish line" of the year, turns into the race of the next and so on and so forth.

The "finish line' of the decade, turns into the race of the next and so on and so forth.

So what am I left with THEN?

Besides, that is, being really, really tired?

Yo! Peeps! I'm tired.
Enough already!

Well...I guess I'm left with the ultimate "finish line", aren't I?

And that would be the death.

And not so much so on and not so much so forth.

(Now I could get into discussions about the after-life and reincarnation and heaven and all of that...but I am keeping this to THIS life. The one I am living NOW).

But wait.

Am I really LIVING my life?

Living NOW?

Or is life just mostly happening TO me?

And if LIFE is for LIVING...then why am I even asking myself this?

...THAT is the question.

WHY then, has this become a mantra for me?

Well...you see...I have always kind of done "what you do".

And what I mean by this, is that I went to school, went to University, got a job, bought a car, bought a home, got married, moved up the ranks in different career positions in my field, had a kid, stayed home a bit, had another kid, stayed home a bit, bought another home, went back to work, bought another home, had another kid, stayed home a bit...well...you get it.

I never dated that much. Here and there. Only had one significant relationship before meeting my husband.

I never travelled much. Still don't.

I rarely vacation. I rarely see my close friends. I don't even go to the movies unless it is something with the kids.

I don't entertain much. Too much on my plate already.

Too much to worry about.

Too much rushing.

I feel like I'm running to stand still - as I wrote about in a recent, very similar post.

Besides my writing, my other passions - which include performing (acting, singing, playing instruments, dance), art, music, my friends...have mostly fallen by the wayside.

I do enjoy watching my boys play hockey...I really do...but it seems to be more about all of the logistics and the money and the who needs to go where at what time with whom and at what rink and rush rush rush rush rush...than the actual enjoyment of the game. For me, anyways...at this point.

I mean, I get it.

I'm a busy, working mother and wife with three active boys. One of them is a two year old.

I'm 40.

I am not exactly a spring chicken anymore.

And I know I am not alone.

But THAT IS MY POINT peeps!

All of this life is happening and I feel as if...as much as I write about how we need to slow down and smell the roses...I don't even SEE the frickin' roses because I am moving too fast!

And when I stop...I REALLY stop.

I don't seem to know what to do with myself anymore if I find myself with a few moments of free time.

So I sleep. Or I watch mindless TV. Or read stupid magazines. Or eat crappy food.

And why?

Because I KNOW that LIFE IS FOR LIVING and I feel as though I am just rushing through it and filling any free time as if they are VOIDS...because rush rush rush is what I am so accustomed to.

And what is best for my kids? And what will make him happy? And what will make her like me? And and and and....

WHAT THE FRICK ABOUT ME???

Yeah!!!!
What about ME!??!?

Shove, shove, shove it aside because I have to rush rush rush.

Fill any voids because I hardly know who I am anymore.

How can I "just be" if I don't know how to do that?

I try to relax...but I can't seem to do it.

I am LOOKING as if I am relaxing...sitting there...eating...reading...watching TV...sleeping...

But I'm not.

It seems to make me anxious.

Feel guilty.

I should be doing something else.

Something more productive.

Something worthwhile.

But I'M worthwhile...aren't I?

Who said no?!??!
Oh...perhaps that was the voice inside my head.

MY life is worth LIVING...right?

And don't get me wrong.

I am not suicidal here peeps.

I am just saying that I often feel as though I have lost myself. As if I am living someone else's life. As if somewhere, somehow, I got pushed out of my own story and was replaced by...well...by the "character" looking back at myself in the mirror.

I think this is around when the "Who is that?" stared to happen.
Hmmmmmm.

And the thing is...I KNOW I AM IN THERE.

Intellectually, I KNOW I AM WORTHWHILE.

I know that MY life is worth living.

And by MY life...I mean my AUTHENTIC life.

None of this is familiar to me.
But I think they should.

REAL life.

Because life...is for living.

Why?

Yeah....why?????

Because the finish line may be closer than we all think.

Not such a simple mantra after all...is it?

Life is for living.

Ponder that peeps.

Smiles,

Lora 

Flying to Me

"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words."

 - Robert Frost

I haven't posted too much of my poetry lately...and I am feeling rather introspective of late.

So on that note, I thought I would share my most recent poem.

I wrote this earlier this week in a stream-of-consciousness state. It is no work of art...simply words that came through me...to my pen...and to my little note pad.

And I dedicate this little poem, to someone I am getting to know better.

Someone I am liking more and more each day.

Someone who is imperfect yet strong; scared shitless yet hopeful.

Me.

I dedicate this poem...to me.

Flying to Me

Sitting...
gazing...
grazing towards the light.

Fight or flight?
I long to fly...
get high...
above mountains...
beyond clouds.

Shrouds of mind-numbing
tears...
I feel my fears.

Then hear a voice.

My choice...
Is mine.

Decline...
to move...
a need to prove...
to them
that I stem...
from love.

Look above.

A prayer.
To just be.

To be me.
To be me.

         By: Lora Rossi, May, 2013

And so it goes...

Smiles,

Lora

WellX Article #41: On Waiting for Weight Loss

Greetings!

I know you want to read them all...so here's a link to my first 40 articles published by WellX here. Enjoy!

I try to lose weight as do many of you...but wait!

There are so many ways to lose weight, that we wait until we find the right way to do it.

And we it weighs on us.

But what to we have to lose?

Well...weight!!!

What are we waiting for, really?

Stop trying to get it right...turn left and no more waiting!

Oh....weight!.....I mean....wait! Here's the link! Wait for it now....

The Weight Loss Wait  By: Lora Rossi  May 23,  2013

Thanks as always to Brad and Mel and everyone at WellnessX for continuing to share my work and for their on-going support and great work with the wellness community!

Smiles,

Lora