a pair of wings with a ball and chain

image credit... wayfair.com

O Tell Me The Truth About Love by W H Auden

Some say love's a little boy, 

And some say it's a bird, 

Some say it makes the world go around,

Some say that's absurd,

And when I asked the man next-door, 

Who looked as if he knew, 

His wife got very cross indeed, 

And said it wouldn't do.

Does it look like a pair of pyjamas.

Or the ham in a temperance hotel?

Does its odour remind one of llamas,

Or has it a comforting smell? 

Is it prickly to touch as a hedge is?

Or soft as eiderdown fluff?

Is it sharp or quite smooth at the edges?

O tell me the truth about love. 

Our history books refer to it

In cryptic little notes, 

It's quite a common topic on 

The Transatlantic boats;

I've found the subject mentioned in

Accounts of suicides, 

And even seen it scribbled on

The backs of railway guides.

Does it howl like a hungry Alsatian,

Or boom like a military band?

Could one give a first-rate imitation 

On a saw or a Steinway Grand?

Is its singing at parties a riot? 

Does it only like Classical stuff? 

Will it stop when one wants to be quiet? 

O tell me the truth about love.

I looked inside the summer-house;

It wasn't over there; 

I tried the Thames at Maidenhead,

And Brighton's bracing air

I don't know what the blackbird sang, 

Or what the tulip said;

But it wasn't in the chicken-run, 

Or underneath the bed.

Can it pull extraordinary faces?

Is it usually sick on a swing? 

Does it spend all its time at the races,

or fiddling with pieces of string?

Has it views of its own about money? 

Does it think Patriotism enough?

re its stories vulgar but funny?

O tell me the truth about love.

When it comes, will it come without warning

Just as I'm picking my nose? 

Will it knock on my door in the morning,

Or tread in the bus on my toes?

Will it come like a change in the weather? 

Will its greeting be courteous or rough? 

Will it alter my life altogether?

O tell me the truth about love.

there is something i am learning about myself and my nature that seems new. funny, because i am sure it has been the same all along- i suspect i am just waking to it. in the beginning stages of taking an idea and running it up a flagpole and letting the winds of processing stretch it into a life size float. this part of the creative process is the intoxicating part for me. 

unsure as to whether to be validated or not, i feel vindicated to understand finally that it is the kinetics involved in ideas which propel me forward. i get high on ideas. gosh- i feel a little naked admitting this. it's almost as if i feel a little ashamed because i find enjoyment. hmm- gotta find a way to let that bit go. 

i have been told that i am driving the bus on this new idea. i might as well have been given a pair of wings and a ball and chaing at the same time. it's so dizzying and quite daunting. none the less, i am in my cups these days. spinning ideas on creating a vision, a mission, core values, developing and implementing a volunteer workforce, educating, training, and funding all have me believing i might be on a tilt-a-whirl. it's certainly an amusement ride. 

thank you, thank you, thank you universe for opening my world to this opportunity. i have to admit here that some of my judgement will be clouded by my own desires and prejudices. i am swimming a resentment now that i perhaps clouding my judgement somewhat. i am willing to let it go, but i haven't been willing enough to forget it. i pledge to make an effort to get to that place. 

the name of our new venture is slated to be named.

"Back To Life". 

Peer Recovery Services 

What We Teach We Learn

the logo ideas are being bandied about and the next brainstorming event should happen this month. i am scheduling an impromptu thank you lunch for all the volunteers that have participated since the onset. and we will hopefully will start to work on our mission statement.

i don't think i know more than anyone nor do i feel more special. i believe that the ideals of recovery and inclusion that i spout so often about here have been carved into the landscape well before i was aware they existed. i embrace those ideals however, and i work to live by them. and something tells me i will post more about the project as it rolls out.

i have become attached to ccar- the connecticut community of addiction recovery. 

Recovery Premise 1: All individuals are unique and have specific needs, goals, health attitudes and behaviors, and expectations for recovery.

Recovery Premise 2: Persons in recovery with mental illness, alcohol or drug addiction, or both, share some similarities, however, management of their own lives and mastery of their own futures will require different pathways at times.

Recovery Premise 3: All persons shall be offered equal access to treatment and have the opportunity to participate in their recovery process.