The Long Way Up

FONDLY This is to say that I want to play dress-up with you someday THINKING OF YOU This is to say that I want to see something beautiful blossom between us HELLO FRIEND This is to say that I want to go through the windows of opportunity that life opens up for us WHAT'S UP? This is to say that I want to someday conquer the world with you HEARTFELT This is to say that perhaps we could help each other get past the dead things in our lives HEY THERE! This is to say that this was the trigger that set it all in motion for me . . . You know what these are for. It's just better articulated now.

You cannot walk on until you take the first step You can't dive deep without first taking a breath You cannot set sail until you paddle and row You can't drive fast if you've nowhere to go You cannot climb heights if you're weighed down by fear You can't fully rejoice until you've shed some tears You cannot embrace until you've shaken the hand You can't have a harvest without working the land You cannot be free until you break off the chains You can't be familiar without facing the strange You cannot take a sip until you lift the cup You can't continue if you've not had enough You cannot fly kites without resisting the winds You can't truly lose until you know you can't win You cannot perspire without breaking a sweat You can't really bleed until you've got nothing left

I stalk people on social media every now and again. Last night, I was perusing the older posts on a friend's blog and caught a glimpse of the changes in her tone of writing, life priorities and outlook in general. Upon telling her of my stalkery behavior, she later on mentioned that she herself has noticed her growth over the years as documented by her voluminous posts. Today, I decided to start reviewing my really old posts from another blog. I only did a light browsing through the titles of former entries and the first paragraph previews, but I could already see the vast difference between the old me and the now me. There was an overabundance of naivete and legalism peppered all over my writings... but at the same time an obscured depth of understanding of biblical truth. This is one of the blog entries I found from around ten years ago... and found it quite amusing. - - - - -  I was having lunch at the office cafeteria the other day when I overheard so

You can choose a lot of things in your life. From the time you are able to form your own thoughts and make decisions for yourself, you can pretty much exercise your right to abide by your preferences -- in clothing, in food, in friendships, in employment, in entertainment, in leisure, in religion, in political affiliation, and so on and so forth. Life, however, reserves the right to make some choices on your behalf and deals you with certain givens that you do not have a say in. One such given is the family that you are born into. Another is the country wherein that happens. In my entire life, there have been moments where I wished, perhaps prayed, to have never been born in the Philippines... and to have never become a Filipino at all. That's as honest as I can be about this subject matter. These thoughts came to me when I was much younger, more inexperienced about life, and reacting to my country of birth and nationality without the benefit of intellect and time. I was e

Scribble, scribble Write and dribble Words constructed Thoughts to nibble Dancing, gliding Pattern-tracing Leaving footprints Letters racing Etching shadows Long and narrow Volumes spoken Deep and shallow Leave a little Jot and tittle Brittle concepts Form epistles Stash a mouthful Thoughtful, hopeful Lawful insights Awful, woeful Script a tenet Then it builds up Craft a sonnet Son, it adds up Sign a statement Statesmen state them List enlistments Troopers hate them Record details Wholesale, retail Bittersweet ales Potent telltales Compose in prose What no one knows With pen propose What says a rose To life you sprung Your ballpoint stung The scribbled ink Your strength unsung - - - - - Today's writing prompt was to describe an inanimate object coming to life and what it does after that.