Defiant Math and a Poem
3 x 3 > 9
There’s my defiant math. In a society that feeds too much on negative news and has become increasingly cynical about goodness and hope, I remain an optimist. I get my energy from living gratefully. It’s not fluff. It’s the air I breathe, the loving hug with my husband, the birds singing in the early morning, our dog Gracie’s quirks, and much more.
Nature is one of my go-to sources for peace and faith in the processes of life, if I don’t force or rush those processes. Nature never disappoints, even with my human nature, which can sometimes disappoint me and those around me.
Gratitude shared is gratitude multiplied, for the giver and the receiver. It defies usual rules of multiplication. In typical math, 3 x 3 does equal 9. In math through the lens of grateful living, 3 x 3 doesn’t stop at 9 . . .
Let me show you my defiant math. Three things I am grateful for and three reasons why for each:
1. Fog – on my early morning run yesterday.
a. Shrouded in mystery–how it rolls in and out.
b. Reminding me to find the openings, look for clarity.
c. It requires me to slow down when I am driving, take a breath. I can always use a reminder to slow down in my day and pay closer attention
2. Summer days.
a. Longer daylight to enjoy the milder weather.
b. It’s easier to get dressed and get ready to go out–fewer layers and slip-on shoes.
c. A flexible work schedule and many days where I don’t need to work at all.
3. Old poems rediscovered, in a journal I had forgotten about for years.
a. It was given to me by my friend Jill for my 44th birthday, my first birthday on this side of breast cancer treatment and surgeries.
b. Some of the poems made their way out and ended up in published works.
c. Others I had totally forgotten I wrote, and I am now enjoying reviving and revising.
3 × 3 = a list of at least 12 above.
Here is one of the poems that made it out of that journal. It is one of my favorites and can be seen in the photo below as “Some Will, Some Won’t.”
Living or Dying?
None will elude death.
The larger question is
are we eluding life?
Some will limit living,
for fear of mistakes and losses.
Others will live deeply,
so as not to miss
moments and love.
Which one are you?
Partially dying or fully living?
©Lisa Valentine
A good question to ponder today. Onward!
