Living Out Loud.

For any of you who know me well, you know that

I am a dreamer.

I love looking at the realm of the impossible and imagining that one day it will come to pass in our lives. Like owning our dream home, adopting, traveling to Antarctica. The span of my mind's wanderings is both high and wide. Sometimes noble; sometimes simply silly.

But oftentimes the convergence of these Big Dreams with the disappointments and trials of everyday life is messy, tear-filled and just plain strenuous.

Every single day brings highs and lows, excitements and discouragements.

I spent years as optimistic as Anne (of Green Gables) herself but in my latter years can see why cynicism will do for so many. I get it; I do.

Hope can be hard when the grey days are quiet and all looks bleak.

Positivity feels like a stranger when we lose a client or we get a $1300 bill for our aging car. What's so great about that?!

The warm fuzzies turn cold with the buzz of a text and bad news from a friend.

But this is the thing-I can always choose negativity, hate, un-forgiveness, bitterness. These companions are always close at hand, are the easiest options, really. They are needy and constantly fight for our attention.

Forgiveness, beauty, grace, gratefulness-these noble truths are often hard to wear. But even in my weakest moments I know their veracity to be tried. So I will cling to hope, to the higher road, over every bloody, craggy step.

Deep breath.

Okay,

here

we

go.

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Words for the Soul.

For those of you who don't know, I like poetry. Not in an overtly-pretentious kind of way, but I enjoy it here and there. Wordsworth, Yeats, Browning-these have been my faithful friends for many a year. (Thank you private schooling and 18th century lit in uni.)

That being said, I recently found a book (not of poetry) at the library, by L.M. Montgomery. Montgomery, authoress of the "Anne" (of Green Gables series) has long been one of my most beloved writers. I've read through all of the "Anne" books 6-7 times. This is a true story. I've cried at a particular place in the 8th book all but one time.

(One of my aunts tells me "You are Anne of Green Gables." I take it as one of the highest compliments of my life.)

Anyhoo. I found what publishers are claiming is the 9th "Anne" book, tucked away on the library shelves. Apparently Montgomery dropped this book, "The Blythes are Quoted," off at her publisher's the day she died. Hmmmmm. #thisisverydramatic

So I've been reading through it the past few weeks (I am potentially a bit behind on my goal of reading 52 books this year, shhhh) and there are many intermittent poems in it by this Anne-girl.

I wanted to put 3 or so in here today but since this is already long...here's one for the road:

SUCCESS

Come, drain the cup held to our lips at last,

Though it may yield the briny taste of tears,

For this we have foregone our joy of youth,

For this we have lived bitter, patient years...

What tang does brew of fig and thistle keep?

Let us drink deep!

Oh, shudder not...the goblet is of gold!

For this we bent our knee at a grim shrine

While others danced to kind and merry gods!

For this we put aside life's choicest wine,

To slake our still unsated thirst lift up

This sacramental cup!

Surely 'twill pay for all that we have missed...

Laughter unlaughed, sweet hours of love and sleep,

Hungers unsatisfied and barren dreams,

How the sly years are mocking us! Drink deep

And vaunt...for who can guess it is a lie?...

The price was not too high.

Was it for such a devil's jorum we

Bartered our precious things and turned from ease,

Winning by dint of many a gallant day

Splendid defeats and abject victories?

But see you not how bright the diamonds wink?

Be brave...once more...and drink!

-Anne Blythe