Great Poetry Site and a Cool Poem "Oranges" by Lauren S. Cook

I love, love, LOVE this poem by Lauren S. Cook!!!! I also completely love and live for moments of the light she describes. I found it on a friend's Facebook page and it led me to Rattle, a GREAT site, to which I subscribed! Check out their goal: "To promote the practice of poetry" and " a community of poets" ! Awesome!

Oranges

by Lauren S. Cook

Today I sliced navels

for my son’s soccer game.

I took care to cut them evenly,

to trim the pith. I know

this is unremarkable––

a soccer mom, a fruit poem.

I promise I’m a person

of average tragedy who

scours each happiness

for its flaw. I can’t

help that they looked

picturesque piled

in a bowl. I nearly called in

my partner to look––

but I know the smallness of this

joy: gauze-thin, vanishing.

I’m ashamed that I told you,

but I feel something

should be said for the oranges––

not an ode, but a note

that they were adequate,

in no way failing, nor I, nor

the chef’s knife, nor the sun,

which lit the room in the way

it does sometimes, illuminating

the dust in the air, the specks

gliding on the smallest of currents.

When Making Lemonade Isn't Enough

                               "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" 

We've all heard that from time to time. I'm having a week of lemon-filled thoughts. End-of-semester crunch time, fingers in many pots, wondering what's on people's minds (when I know I shouldn't), etc. I've been both excited and apprehensive about things (who isn't). 
I've also heard that "When life gives you lemons, throw them back". 

But wait, that's not so nice. I don't do that, but I've felt it. 

I've learned that I can make lemonade out of life's lemons very well. I'm pretty resourceful and tend to create my own opportunities, but I also feel like I have a decent grasp on the fact that days in life range from the downright awful to the unabashedly glorious. It's been a week filled with both, yesssirreee. Even my rainbow unicorn & stars socks and my fun coffee socks didn't help even the keel. Boo. Time often helps though. It allows problematic situations to settle into a drinkable, lemony slush.

GAAAH, will I stop with the analogies.......probably not. 

The aforementioned slush is probably only drinkable with sugar and water, a team effort.

What if it's not a situation? What if people throw you lemons? Dealing with disappointment from unfulfilled expectations can be hard. In varied degrees, I imagine that most of us experience stress, fear, and worry over disappointing others while at the same time, we try and protect ourselves from being disappointed by others.  Working together sometimes does the trick...there's that team effort again :-)

I try to live my life in a confident, passionate, and authentic way. I'm openly sensitive and currently am the most "present" I've ever been in my entire life (thank you discernment and deep thoughts by the water in City Park). Being so present is truly wonderful and exciting, but can leave you vulnerable too. 

So what to do.... 

Avoid stresses? How is that living? 

Avoid the lemon-throwers? Hardly. 

Maybe I should try apples? Hmmm....just kidding!

Oh dear... What is is about throwing fruits?

And these memes? Yes, I had some time on my hands today.

What if people are gently handing you lemons they're not even aware of? This week, I've witnessed people simply walking by and dropping their lemons in my general vicinity. So WHAT business, pray tell, is it of mine to pick up these lemons? Ummm.... I'm a caring teacher and colleague? Is it that I want the best for everyone even though I know I cannot solve their stuff? Is it that I cannot alleviate fear in colleagues that has been constructed over years or even passed down to them by well-meaning higher-ups? 

Le Sigh. I have no real answers. Welcome to my ponderings.

Last month, I took some lemons, made some pretty good lemonade, and then watched as it was enjoyed. Only later did I realize that there wasn't any left for me. Today, this new month, I decided to collect the lemons, make some into lemonade and hold onto some others for selling or making more lemonade later.

I also decided that I should use magic and turn lemons into other juices because

I am amazing :-)