Spreading Your Roots

I think I have talked about making BIG changes. I feel like one of the biggest changes I have made as of recently is moving from my hometown of Oakland, CA to Portland, OR. That really has me thinking of this topic I will be talking about in this post. When I think of the meaning of spreading your roots it means to stay in a place where you feel like you found home and spreading your roots/seeds. I think I feel like I am finally starting to find my roots here in Portland. I have been slowly finding my community and feel like it is the place where I want to be for a while.

I have searched for a quote for this post and here is one that I came across. “Spreading your wings doesn’t mean leaving your roots behind; it means embracing the freedom to explore new territories while staying grounded in who you are.” So in other words just because you spread your wings and roots does not mean you forget who you are. It just means you have the freedom and ability to explore new places you have never been to before. In fact it keeps you even more grounded in who you are. Embrace where you come from. And on that note I will stop here. Enjoy the following poem.

Visual poem titled “New Place, New Beginning.” Image copyright by Elena Waller.

Temptation

Just a fair warning to those who read this post. It is going to be a short post because there is so much I could say about this, but I think I will let this poem speak for itself. Temptation… it is never a simple or easy thing/subject to talk about. So I’m just going to share the following poem which got me runner up position for a competition I participated in on DUP. Here you go. Enjoy!

“Temptation” visual poem. Received 2nd place in a competition on DUP.

Traveling/Going to Paradise

Of course one of the first things that pops into my head when I think of this subject is Demi Lovato’s song “Cool for the Summer” when she sings “Take me down into your paradise…” I think traveling and going to paradise are similar because when we travel it is like we are going to paradise. I have probably talked about traveling before, but in this post I will probably talk about it again. It is especially something to talk about since summer is winding down and I know we all take vacations/travel during this time of the year before we start school or whatever it is we do in the real world. It is the way we live and that brings me to the first quote of this post which I believe is self explanatory. “To travel is to live.” In other words we travel in order to live life. That is why traveling is important.

We usually take the time to rest our minds and bodies. That brings me to this next quote. “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” In other words, we think of travel as a way to escape life, but it is the other way around. It is so life does not escape us because if we do not travel life will pass us by in a blur and we would miss out on so much. It is why we have to take care of ourselves. I will conclude by sharing the following visual poem and one last quote. “Paradise is not a place, it’s a state of mind.” People think of paradise as a place but that is not always the case. I can go on and on about this but this is a good spot to end. I hope you all enjoy the following poem. Cheers and let it take you to paradise!

Visual poem titled “Going to Paradise.” Image copyright by Elena Waller.

Earth’s Beauty

I was just recently thinking of this topic and it is probably something I have talked about before so therefore I am going to keep this post very short. We have this responsibility to take care of earth. Yes, we do live on it, but that does not necessarily mean it belongs to us. It works the other way around. That leads to me to my first quote of this blog post by Chief Seattle. He says, “The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” In other words we belong to this earth and whatever we do to this earth is directly related to what we do to ourselves. Earth has done so much for us like keeping us alive so therefore we have to fight for it and keep it clean. In other words we have to take care of it like it has taken care of us for quite a long time. That brings me to my next quote of this post. Ernest Hemingway says “Earth is a fine place and is worth fighting for.” After all it’s given us so much like life, love and natural beauty. The least we can do is fight for it and keep it in all its natural glory.

This is all so important, especially in today’s world as we unfortunately have global warming and that means our earth is not functioning as it should. After all the water runs out and once the trees are all cut down we have no other resources because it is not like we have another earth to live on. This earth we currently have is all we have. That leads me to another quote by Mahatma Gandhi who says “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” In other words the earth provides what we need as humans like food, water and shelter, but it cannot provide the superficial things we do not necessarily need (the things that we become greedy about).

There is so much more I can say, but I will conclude by sharing one more quote. This is an important one by Peace Gypsy who says, “Mother Earth, one of my absolute favorite places… where the sounds, the energy, the beauty, and the life pounds into your every fiber of being, letting you know that you are alive. I will always respect and honor this gift of creation that we call our home.” This quote explains the importance of earth and why we have to respect her. I am also sharing the following visual poem titled “Earth’s Beaty” because one thing we can still do for this earth is admire its beauty. I hope you all enjoy this one!

Visual poem titled “Earth’s Beauty.” © Image Copyright by Elena Waller.

Betrayal

Betrayal is one of the worst feelings in the world. Sometimes we think it comes from those we do not know or people who we think are our enemies, but the sad truth is that it could come from someone we are familiar with. That leads me into my first quote of this blog post. “The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.” In other words it comes from people we know and love, whether that is family, friends or our partners. I think that is why betrayal hurts a lot because we trust those people, but then they betray us. It could be intentional, but it could be unintentional as well. Either way it still hurts and causes a lot of pain, especially for those who feel betrayed. There is another sad truth to betrayal. It can be explained best by the following quote by Arthur Miller. He says, “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.” I think he means that betrayal is the only truth that sticks and lingers. I know this feels like a sad post so I will try to keep it short I promise.

There could be a positive side to betrayal as well. You can learn so much from it and it is a reflection of who the other person is, not yourself. That leads me to my last and final quote of this blog post. Well… actually three final quotes. The first one is the following. “When someone betrays you, it is a reflection of their character, not yours.” I think that quote is pretty self explanatory, but I will try to explain it the best I can. Betrayal does not show who you are, but it shows who the betrayer really is and has nothing to do with you. Betrayal in other words is not completely your fault. So you should not have to feel guilty. The second to last quote by Sherrilyn Kenyon says, “Everyone suffers at least one bad betrayal in their lifetime. It’s what unites us. The trick is not to let it destroy your trust in others when that happens. Don’t let them take that away from you.” So in other words, do not let that one bad betrayal destroy what you hold so dear and give to others… trust, which is one if not the most important thing in this world.

In conclusion, betrayal is one of the worst things anyone deals with, but we just have to keep moving on no matter how hard that is. That leads me to my last quote of this blog post, I promise. Carmen Harra says, “Betrayal leaves us at a fork in the road… we can become stuck in a bad moment forever or we can put it behind us for good. We decide our path.” In other words, betrayal gives us two options. One is to let it linger and fester. The other option is to move on and leave it in the past. In all honesty, it is better to choose the second option of moving on and leaving betrayal in the past because it does no good to keep a hold on it for our present or future. I hope that everyone enjoys the following visual poem about one form of betrayal.

“Betrayal of Love” visual poem. Image by Jills from Pixabay.

Matters of the Heart

I know I probably talked about the matters of the heart so many times. As I think about it more and more I realize that the heart is one of the most essential organs we have in our bodies. It pumps blood and keeps us alive every day. I really am sorry for everything that I put my heart through. I am thankful for it every minute of every day. That is the very reason why we have to protect it. That leads me to my first quote of this post. Proverb 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” In other word we should protect and guard our hearts because life itself flows and comes from it.

I could go on and on about how important our heart is, but I think people get the point. There is so much more I could say about our hearts, but I will conclude with a couple of more quotes and they are important ones. The first one is by Princess Diana. She says “Only do what your heart tells you.” In other words, you should be trusting and following your heart. You should be doing what your heart tells you to do because it is usually right. That leads me into my next and final quote of this post by Alfred Adler. He says “Follow your heart but take your brain with you.” It is a gentle reminder to follow your heart, but do no not forget to take your brain with you which is very important.

This post is a gentle reminder for those of us who forget that our hearts are the most important organ we have in our body. We have to take care of it, not only physically, but mentally as well because we put it through a lot. The truth is that we cannot always count on others to take care of it for us because it belongs to us and no one else. In a way we have to take care of our own hearts before we take on the responsibility to take care of someone else’s heart because our our health should come before someone else’s damaged heart. So this post is for all of you. Cheers! And enjoy these two poems. The first one is in tribute to Rita Dove who is a poet I came across in one of the competitions I took part in on DUP (won runner up position). You can read her poem that was the inspiration for my poem (click here). Like I said before, I hope that you all enjoy them.

There Goes My Heart

Pitter patter
goes my heart
every time I see you.

Take what belongs
to you – the heart
moving with
every breath
and word spoken
So eloquently.

All I yearned for
was simplicity
and easiness.

The heart never
loses its shape
nor its color
as it never stops
its birdlike or drum
like consistency.

It never stops its
path to freedom.

Visual poem titled “Healing Heart.”

Taking a Risk & Chance

Life I feel like is all about taking a risk. I think you risk more by not taking a risk, if that makes sense. That brings me to my first quote of this post by Robert Redford. He says, “Not taking a risk is a risk. That’s how I see it.” I believe he is so right because if you do not take a risk you may regret it later on and even if taking that risk does not pay off at least you took a chance. You still learn something from it either way and we should be courageous enough to take those risks. There are so many risks I have taken life and they each have gotten me to where I am today. That leads me to my next quote by Pablo Coehlo who says, “Everything tells me that I am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just a part of life. What does the world want of me? Does it want me to take no risks, to go back to where I came from because I didn’t have the courage to say “yes” to life?” Saying yes to whatever life throws at you is all about taking the risk, despite the fact you may not know where that risk might take you.

I know that in previous posts I have talked about taking a chance and I am going to reiterate some of what I said before. Take a chance, even if there is big risks involved. That brings me to a quote by CeeLo Green. He says, “I’m all about taking chances. You have to ask yourself, if you’re not taking any chances, are you actually even living? Every time you walk out of your door and you’re out in the world, you take a chance on not coming back. That is the danger and the dynamic of being alive.” So he is saying to take every chance that you can because that is a part of being alive. We do not know whether or not we are going to make it every day and that is why we should take every chance. If you die today we have to be proud of every chance or risk we took because what if we die and we did not take any of those chances or risks? What then? We have to live with that and take it to our graves. So I want to conclude with these three visual poems down below. My readers are so lucky I decided to post 3 poems instead of my usual one or two. So enjoy!!

Visual poem titled “Risk of Falling in Love.” Image from Pixabay.
Visual poem titled “Taking the Plunge.” Photo by Yeshi Kangrang on Unsplash.
Visual poem titled “Her Choice.”

HOPE

Hope… it is one of those words, that stands out, especially during these weird and strange times of the Corona virus. We all hope, it is in our human nature. It allows us to have some positivity in this crazy world. I will dive right into the first quote of this post by Desmond Tutu. He says, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” So in other words, hope is something that shines bright like the light despite the darkness that surrounds it. When at least one person has hope it makes the people around have hope as well and I honestly think that makes the world a better place. I would hate to bring more negativity into this world when we already have so much in this world like death, Coronavirus, war, global warming, etc. We all have to be a guiding light like a lighthouse for example. That brings me to my next quote by Jennifer Gayle. She says, “Be a guiding light, a safe harbor, a beacon of hope, and a solid foundation for those around you.” In other words, become a beacon of hope not only for yourself, but for those around you. You have no idea who is watching you and you always want be that kind of inspiration for others to follow.

It is like what I said before because if we become a beacon of hope it will encourage others to do the same. People should be able to see that beacon of hope on the horizon. It shows us that there is possibility despite everything that has happened in the past. We just have to keep pushing and going towards that light of hope. This is why I am encouraging my readers and everyone else to really be that light and hope because we all really need it! I want to conclude this post with one final quote by Eleanor Roosevelt (one of my personal heroes) who says, “Surely, in the light of history, it is more intelligent to hope rather than to fear, to try rather than not to try. For one thing we know beyond all doubt: nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says: it can’t be done.” In other words, it would be wiser to have hope rather than fear and to try rather than not trying. We should also not listen to those who say that it can’t be done. Hope is the one thing that can get us through the bad times. I hope that my readers hang onto that hope really tightly. We will all get through these weird and strange times I promise! It may take time, but we will get there. I also want to take the time to wish my mom and all the mothers out there a happy Mother’s Day! I love you mama and I am lucky enough to have not only one mother, but 2. Happy Mother’s Day to my second mom, Susan!!

Visual poem titled “HOPE.” Photo by Ron Smith on Unsplash.
Visual poem titled “Beacon of Hope.” Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash.

Dystopia

I know that in the past I have talked about utopia. In this case I want to talk about the opposite, dystopia. Here are the definitions for those of you who forgot what utopia and dystopia are. Utopia: “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions” (definition came from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary). Dystopia: “an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives” (definition also came from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary). So utopia in other words is the perfect and ideal world while dystopia is the opposite (terrible). It is like some of those books we read like “The Hunger Games” or “Delirium” or “The Giver.” Those, in my mind, are what I consider to be the dystopian type of books. It is a way to conceptualize what dystopia is.

I think of dystopia as something dark and maybe sinister in a way. I think this next quote explains the clear difference between utopia and dystopia. Daniel Raj Kumar says, “Utopia is an illusion. Dystopia is the reality.” In other words, utopia is not something that is always true and dystopia is something that is true. Although we view dystopia as something bad there is something beautiful about it at the same time. Ally Condie explains some of that beauty in a great way. She says, “The beauty of dystopia is that it lets us vicariously experience future worlds – but we still have the power to change our own.” In other words, dystopia gives us an opportunity to experience future worlds and also gives us a chance to change our world. I think dystopia gives us a wake up call, whether its real or fake.

The thing about dystopia is that there is a great chance of that happening, especially if we do not take care of today’s world. That is what Lauren DeStefano says. She says, “Most dystopian, classic and contemporary, paints a future world that puts a twist on present society – a future world that could plausibly happen.” So like I said before, dystopia is something that could possibly happen. I could go on and on about dystopia, utopia and the difference between the two, but I think you all got the difference. I will conclude by saying that utopia and dystopia are not exactly the most simplest of ideas, especially dystopia. It is like asking that “what if?” question. That is dystopia in a nutshell. Here are two poems to enjoy, both visual poetry. I hope you enjoy!!

My visual poem titled “In a Perfect World.”
My visual poem titled “Dystopian World.”

Obsessions

We all have obsessions as human beings in one way or another. Whether it’s perfection, money, fame, love or something else… sometimes we just have to live with this “obsession.” I feel like having an obsession could either be a great thing or something that is extremely bad. When you are passionate about something that could be seen as something good, otherwise I feel like it could be a habit that could turn into something horrible. Anyways, here is a quote about a good obsession from Billie Jean King. She says, “Obsession can sometimes be a good thing! No one changes the world who isn’t obsessed.” On the other side we have some situations in which obsession can be a bad thing, which leads me to another quote. Norman Mailer says, “Obsession is the single most wasteful human activity, because with an obsession you keep coming back and back and back to the same question and never get an answer.” So in other words, obsession can leave you with more questions than answers. A lot of the time that feeling is horrible and can leave you empty.

Sometimes as women especially we are taught to be obsessed with perfection and looking beautiful as we see all of that within the beauty industry. We are also taught to be looking for love from someone else. We are teaching girls all about that and that is the WRONG kind of obsession because outer beauty does not matter as much as our inner beauty. Yes, appearance does matter, especially in professional settings such as when she works, but we should not teach little girls to become beauty queens. That is an obsession that can be carried around for a lifetime. It is something that is forever ingrained. Instead we should be teaching girls and women to be comfortable in who they are. That leads me to my next quote by Sandra Cisneros. She says, “I am obsessed with becoming a woman comfortable in her own skin.” That is an obsession we should be touching everyone, man and woman.

It could lead to something bad later down the road. That brings me to my next quote. Greg Carlisle says, “Anything that inspires addiction or obsession – substances, entertainment, beauty, secrecy – is dangerous in that it can lead to isolation, self-absorption, and disconnection, to paralyzed stasis: an immobility that gathers like a force.” Like I said the wrong kind of obsession can lead to bad habits. I want to end this post by saying obsessions are obsessions. They are things that are deeply ingrained. I have included two poems down below. The second one is a visual poem titled “Obsession with Perfection – Visual Poetry.” I hope my readers enjoy these poems!! Sorry if my post feels like its rambling on and all over the place. There is so much to be talked about in this subject.

Little Obsessions

She was still a little girl who carried her insecurities around like a blanket
And was always obsessed with finding perfection all around her because
She could not find any perfection within herself. She already had cut

Herself too deeply to care if she was still bleeding. She knew the cause
Of her pain, but it was another one of her obsessions to keep it all to
Herself until she was drowning and completely submerged. Her flaws

Are like track marks and a road map on her body, beautiful but not new
To her. I know she tries hard to forget the inflicting words she has heard
Her whole life. Parts of herself that she keeps to herself. When you

Love someone like her, I promise you that she will mean every word
Because for her they come directly from her heart. Her obsession
With words never diminishes because she wants to be a free bird.