Mastering the mind

Alaska July 2021

Learning to master the mind

Who can do it

It is restless

Impetuous

Rebellious

It twists and turns like the wind

Churns and tosses

Like a mountain stream

Who can control it

It is our closest friend

And our worst enemy

It has brought me

To the highest high

And knocked me to

The lowest low

Still I try to master it

I will continue my entire life

Exploring it

Wrestling with it

And enjoying those moments

We dance and laugh together

Before the battle begins again

Me and my free will

Trying to calm the tumultuous

Pouring out of thoughts

From my wild and reckless

Ever brilliant mind

E.A. Fussell

07.15.2021

You are needed

Do you ever wonder why you are here? Why creation thinks you are needed? Why it was in this era you are needed? I often wonder what I’m supposed to be doing, how am I adding value to existence. Tromping around in the wilderness teaches you how insignificant you are and at the same time observing nature teaches you that even the most insignificant things have a purpose.

E.A. Fussell
07.14.2021

Pause

I know you are as busy as this bee 🐝 but remember to take a moment for yourself, pause and appreciate something, anything;
Smile and go on with your day

E.A. Fussell
07.12.2021

Let’s go for a walk

Come walk with me

Or just sit and talk for a while

Most are welcome

But not all

If you join me

I will adjust my step

To match your pace

For a time

Then I will travel my own path

Leaving you with memories

Without having met me

You may never have had

E.A. Fussell

07.10.2021

Let’s go

Summer Hiking is finally here
What better way to celebrate
Than investing in new gear
Lightweight hiking shoes
Great for climbing over rocks or
Splashing through streams
Places that I know
Some places of my dreams
Wilderness
As far as the eye can see
Is beckoning me

E.A. Fussell
06.22.2021

snowflakes in an avalanche

“No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible” or is it
“Every snowflake in an avalanche feels responsible”

One of the random thoughts that tossed itself into my mind this morning. Of course, I could have tossed it right back out. But I entertained myself by playing with it for a few minutes.

E.A. Fussel

06.16.2021

Knowledge increaseth sorrow

For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 1:18

Ignorance is bliss
Or so they say
I wish some days
My mind wasn’t curious
And could be satisfied
To just sit still
Not feel compelled
To walk toward the light
Not search for wisdom
Nor seek to ponder
The purpose of life
Especially when
Complex darkness rushes in
Convincing me
There is no purpose in this life
Worth engaging in

E.A. Fussell
O6.14.2021

Step, take them, smaller

Impatience
Can make us take
A step that is too big
Causing disappointment
Which can immobilize us
And take away our reach
In trying to stretch ourselves
We injure ourselves unknowingly
Defeating our own purpose

Having a targeted destination
Keeps us looking forward
But often the sideline view
Is worth pausing for
Allowing us to enjoy the journey
And still reach our destination

It’s okay to have a big goal
It’s okay to rethink
How we reach it

E.A. Fussell
06.02.2021

Summer’s on it’s way

How to have a bikini body:
Buy a bikini, put it on 👙

Haha, that’s funny, but it’s no joke that the first day of summer is only three weeks away. In preparation (and because I am determined to wear a bathing suit in public this summer) I signed up for a June fitness challenge.

It’s a little surprising when a nationally recognized fitness coach calls you IN PERSON to ask if you are familiar with how intense her program is because she noticed your age combined with your height to weight ratio 😳 and you have to tell her that you have not been doing any intense exercise lately 😩

After I assured her that I was familiar with her programs (a close family member does them) and the level of hot water I was jumping off into. She finally agreed to let me participate if I promised to work at my own pace and not try to keep up with her. I agreed. 😁

🏃🏼‍♀️🏋🏼‍♀️👙So bring on the oxygen and the smelling salts and the achy-joint salve…. 🔥 the intensity begins tomorrow 💥

E.A.Fussell

05.31.2021

Death leads to freedom

Death & Freedom
Seem to go hand-in-hand
Death leads to freedom
Regardless of whether it is
A noble soldier on the battlefield
Seeking freedom for their country
Or a patient on the battlefield of disease
Seeking freedom from pain and suffering
Or a drug addict on the battlefield of life
Seeking freedom from their tortured mind
Death leads to freedom in all cases
Then grief engulfs families for decades
The price of freedom is very high
For families of soldiers as well as
For anyone who has lost someone
Who didn’t survive
Their search for freedom

E.A. Fussell
05.31.2021