The Naked Face

It all began with chance.

A case of happenstance.

Walking away so easy that day

Yet familiar tuggings making me stay

And as you drew close my self preservation

Said, ‘Wait right there! Don’t come any closer!’

It didn’t scream loud enough for you drew ever nearer

First the wall broke down.

It seemed to melt away so quickly

Like a wall poster in heavy rain.

I don’t think you noticed it was there

But I knew it was gone the first time I told you

A complete truth without fear

With no thought

For its import.

Me beneath my cloak and mask

Wanted to run away.

Curious rabbit wanted to ask

Many questions and wanted to stay.

Wanted to know why you act and talk

The way you do

Wanted to know the true bulk

Unravel the mystery behind you.

The hand that used to hold the cape closed

Now gripped yours like life-purchasing gold.

The concealant comes slipping down

My hand

To the ground

I barely notice

For I’m looking

Right at you

It drops in a neglected pool.

I want to grab it

While holding on to you.

Clumsy effort!

I must choose

The cloak or you?

Now we are arm in arm

‘So what’s the harm?

He still can’t see me.’

I reason it to be.

The face beneath the mask

Buried like a cask

In the ground.

You stop and there’s no sound.

I’m taken aback.

Hoping not to catch flak

You’re looking at the mask

With questioning eyes.

‘Oh this!’, I begin the task

Of telling you the familiar lies.

‘It’s part of me, I promise you.’

Your reply makes one thing clear

It comes off soon

No matter how much I hold it dear.

We continue to talk

As we continue our walk

But we’re stalling

And we stop again.

Your hand reaching up

To lift my visor

I’m stunned

At your audacious move

But I let you.

The part of me that does not follow the rules

Lets you touch it.

And in that split second

That you see the hidden,

Shock comes unbidden.

To look upon the misshapen,

Mismatched and forsaken.

You see my naked face

And my mask slips back into place.

 

Related Articles

• Two Sided Mask – by Soledad (schantress.wordpress.com)
• Masked (amandabrianphotography.wordpress.com)
• Are you hiding behind a mask? [John Amy - Graphic Design] (ecademy.com)

The real deal on financial intangibles.

The people who usually talk about finance are either trained in that field or millionaires. I am neither. In fact, I am simply a fresh university grad serving the nation with a limited income. But maybe, just maybe that is what qualifies me to talk about income since I have succeeded in surviving and creating a life far from home on a limited income without needing (much) assistance from home. I’m not going to talk about the tangibles of savings, investing and all that because seriously, that isn’t what my finance is about now and there are others eminently more qualified than me to do so. So here I am talking about the intangibles of money that I have discovered by living on less.

• Gratitude and faith

The first thing I learned was to be thankful for the fact that I had an income at all and that it was as much as it was. Yes, it isn’t much by my past income generation and I have taken a serious pay cut but it still is what I have and I’m grateful for it. I also needed faith. Looking at first I thought, ‘that will never be enough’. Of course, as time went on, I realized that it had to be enough or else I would have to make the shortfall up in some way so I had to put my faith to work for me and so far it has.

• Acceptance

As obvious as it sounds, acceptance is absolutely necessary. Acceptance isn’t about lying down and dying thinking it will never change. It is about accepting the reality of the present and believing for a better future. I had to accept that my finances were what they were and learn to work with that.

• Honesty

It’s amazing the number of lies that are told when money comes into the mix. Of course, the lies only make life harder but they’re so easy because they create an alternate reality that is more bearable. Obviously, this goes hand in hand with acceptance. Honesty – with yourself and others – about where you are financially makes for a healthy outlook.

• Hope

Hope is a belief that things will not always be the way they are. Having hope keeps me going in the times when I get really fed up.

• Generosity

In times like this, the temptation to hold back is so strong because it seems like it never is enough but at times like this sharing with someone who really needs it. This is not about squandering your stuff on people (friends or otherwise) who can get along just fine (thank you very much) without you and your help. True sharing is a powerful key to release.

• People (especially friends)

What can I say? Life’s easier with company. And sharing with people makes life fuller and richer even in the face of scarcity.

 

Related Articles

• Problems that money can’t solve (theglobeandmail.com)
• How Much Life Insurance Should I Buy? (termlifeinsurance.org)
• Intangible Assets (kauffman.org)
• The Intangibles of Leadership (myventurepad.com)

Life

Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone.
Kindness in another’s trouble,
Courage in your own.
- Anon.

Li(f)e of Speed

Life in a high tech world is fun. It really is. You can get a lot of stuff done as soon as you want. You needn’t go far to talk to people you care about – a quick phone call or a text will do.  People on Facebook have an average of 350 friends meaning that; in theory, you can keep in touch with about 350 people or more without much effort. The average age for university and masters degree students is in free fall and anyone outside that range feels left out, slow or worse, dumb. Everything is happening faster and earlier and if it doesn’t happen for you…well, tough. We celebrate those who get things done quickly. Those who never had to stop or slow down for anything. Speed is everything in the rush for significance and everything around us – parents, friends, even the media tells us that constantly.

Nobody really wants to be insignificant and everyone wants to figure out the answers as soon as they can. But do answers come that way? Really? Answers take work and they take time. It has been proved that more than half of all university graduates aren’t sure what they’ll do with their lives after school. A shocking number considering the fact that we’re all in a hurry to make our mark in the world.

My take on this – speed isn’t everything. Sure you may get where you’re going faster than anyone else and be noticed for it but lasting answers are a result of work, time and patience. #justsaying

Settling the Question of ‘Deserving’.

I want good stuff to happen to me in life. Indeed I do. I want things around me to run like clockwork. I want my needs met and then some. I’d like to be comfortable. The world today is full of rules about how things don’t work out a lá Murphy ’s Law and Peter’s Law. But I don’t want that to be me. I want things around me to be different.

Deserving is the question that pops up anytime I express a desire for good. The worst part of it is that this question is the sort that brings more with it – Have I done enough to earn this? Have I been good enough to get this? Am I worth it? I am human and I’d  like to feel that I’ve done something to get it. That I’ve worked hard enough or smart enough or am somehow better than those who don’t have it. But the truth is that; I haven’t done enough to get good stuff and even if I estimate that I have, there are people who have done more than me, who are ‘better’ than me and who are ‘worth’ more that also want these good things and don’t get them. I feel guilty. Why do I have these things and others don’t?

I now realize that the question of deserving should not be asked because it can’t be answered fairly. Any attempt at an answer brings pain and takes away from my gratitude for what I get. I have to accept that these things happen ‘just because’.  To discard the question is to accept what I get unconditionally – not taking my validation from how good I am or how worthy I am. I accept them with humility and thanks because they happen ‘just because’. By removing the question of deserving, my lack of ‘qualifications’ don’t block my desire.  The outcomes are’t affected. This is my resolution.