I’ve often wondered why certain people have come into my life, or why I stepped into theirs. Some have turned my world upset down leaving me to clean up the rubble and put the piece of my shattered self back together. Others made my think, made me laugh, made me shake my head, inspired me or loved me just enough and then they were gone. I have come to understand and appreciate that sometimes we’re meant to step into someone’s life for barely a moment. Just long enough to leave a small imprint and change each other in ways we might never know. We walk together from one place and time to another, and then, head to separate shores, knowing with great clarity that we’re profoundly different, although not quite sure how. Be grateful for everyone that comes in and out of your life. Wish them peace, happiness and love. Each of these beautiful souls brought you something magnificent, even if it was painful. They helped shape you into who you are. And who you are, is wonderful.
Thank you for stepping into my world, if only for a moment.
Wisdom is forgiving ourselves and others, for everything. Its being comfortable letting go, and letting others do the same.
Wisdom is the gift that comes after each mistake, every heartache, all of our grief, every wrong turn and being grateful because we know the pain is the lesson.
Wisdom is knowing when it’s time to surrender and just trust.
Wisdom is the beautiful, slippery, steppingstones on which we build our lives.
When the darkness of unsettled days block your light, there is always a sanctuary of infinite beauty you can escape to that will lift your spirit and help you heal.
Go to the waters edge, breathe slowly and inhale the sweet, softness of the ocean and exhale the weight of the burdens you carry.
Find a mossy, tree lined forest path to lead you away from your busy days, far from the heaviness of whatever ails you.
Retreat to a rocky bluff and let the setting sun melt your pain and relax your worries.
Gaze into the moonlight and stardust, allowing their glow to light your way and hold your dreams until you’re ready to chase them again.
While you’re at it, climb a ladder into the twilight, touch the stars and let the magic of their brilliance warm your soul.
Nature provides the music, the colour, the awe, the sweet perfume of life, the quiet and the peace that will help you heal.
Before you return to the reality of your world, take a gratitude moment to relish in your own beauty and give thanks for the true miracle you are. Let go of toxic ties and reclaim the grace of everything beautiful that’s waiting for you.
No matter what’s blocking your path or causing you pain, you can always seek refuge in the sanctuaries’ nature offers, even if these tranquil retreats exist only in the deepest corners of your mind. Close your eyes and go to them. You deserve to heal❤️
You were born curious and with a strong sense of purpose. You were also born with authentic wisdom and a knowledge of what’s right and wrong. Then society changed you and slowly reset your original “factory” settings.
Our “civilized” culture has taken us away from our true nature and forced us into activities, learning, jobs, relationships, rules, beliefs and tribes that might not “feel” right for us.
These societal expectations and rules are not the truth, they are merely guidelines to achieve social cooperation. We go along with what we know is wrong for the sake of these societal rules, afraid to speak our truth as we might be shunned, disciplined, mocked, or rejected.
We witness harm, destruction, inequality, environmental ruin, greed and violations to the human spirit and other living beings every single day. Our spirits know these things are wrong, yet, for the sake of societal cooperation, we continue to outwardly accept and live these lies.
You can feel when things are not aligned to your personal wisdom, purpose and joy. When we feel sad, angry, depressed or tired, it may be that you’re off your path, wandering away from your purpose and your personal truth.
Your inner guru speaks to you through feelings, through your reaction to things and through a deep sense of knowing. We all have to tap into this knowing. We can do this by being quiet and listening to our intuition and “feeling” our wisdom.
You deserve to reset to your original factory settings, to be curious again and find your joy, your people, your purpose and YOUR truth. Don’t be afraid to challenge the beliefs and expectations that were draped upon you. In fact, you should, we all should.
Surrender the toxic objects, people, noise, behaviours and attitudes that block your path and call you into battle.
There’s no need to fight the things that cause you pain. Thank them for the lessons, then let them and the darkness they brought you go.
Not every battle is meant to be fought, some are meant to push you on to a new path. Your greatest victories will be realized in the battles you do not fight.
You deserve better days and joyful moments met with softer, kinder hearts and light in your life.
Put down your sword and let yourself heal. Surrender. Toni O’K~🌹❤️
We’re all so busy making noise we can’t hear the sage whispers of truth flowing from our whimsy, tired souls.
We need PEACE, We need PAUSE, We need QUIET.
When we’re busy being loud, spewing anger, hating, judging, mocking or insulting others for who they are or how they live their lives, we’re really reflecting our own fears, low self-esteem, ignorance and insecurities back into the world.
We need to be at peace with ourselves before we can be at peace with the rest of the world. Hate, anger, jealousy, greed, or the desire to control or change others is a reflection of what’s broken inside each of us.
At the heart of every human being, is a soul wanting to live peacefully, wanting to love and be loved. At our very core that’s who we are. That’s who YOU really are.
If we want to fix our shattered little world, we have to stop making so much noise. We have to stop asking others to change. Individually, WE have to change. We have to change the way we look at ourselves and how we accept each other.
This little shit storm we have going on across the planet, is ridiculous and can be fixed. We’ve all been given a huge time out to go back into our corners and look inward. We’re wasting the opportunity.
If we don’t learn the lessons from this period in our history, I believe the next wave of this global “punch-to-the-gut” will be more painful than anything we’ve ever felt before. It might be a full-blown knock out.
Our souls know how to get along. Their trying to tell us to take care of one another, to be kind, loving and compassionate, all we need is the will. The problem is, we’re not all listening.
So let’s all stop making so much noise and listen to what the universe and our soul are telling us.
Really, let’s all shut the “F” up, close our eyes, inhale peace, exhale gratitude and start listening. I say that with a heart filled with love for every single one of you, Love Toni
I know you’re tired. So rest your weary soul and surrender the day. Drown in the misty glow of the moon. Inhale the sweetness of raindrops, exhale the sweetness of peace. Allow the twinkle of tiny stars to calm your mind and the warmth of summer wind to lull you into peaceful slumber. Like you, the world is tired, and like you, she’s still beautiful.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a cop, a gas station attendant, doctor, farmer, black, white, brown, Irish, Italian, Asian, catholic, jewish, atheist, gay, straight, male, female, trans, short, tall, rich, poor ~ whatever, We have to stop hurting, judging and killing each other. Because this crap that’s playing out, nobody’s winning. We all have it in us to be kind, compassionate, peaceful and loving, even when we disagree, especially when we disagree. Please try and exercise your kindness muscle today. If you can’t do that, then just stay home, drink beer, eat chocolate, pet your dog, do what you do and stop wasting precious time worrying about how others live their lives. In the end, none of us are getting out of this alive. None of us. Not one. Nope not even you. Love Toni xo
As we age, why do we feel an urge to look back to our youth, to host reunions and reconnect? Is it because we have an innate desire to return to our original social tribes, the tribes that marked us and shaped who we became?
If you and I grew up in the same neighborhood, walked to school together clutching metal lunch buckets, rode our bikes around the same block, played on swings and metal teeter-totters, ran around kicking-the-can in my front yard or shouting “Red Rover” in yours, talked about our childhood crushes at sleepovers, or met up at girl guides, scouts, band, drama rehearsals, community sports, or at the swimming pool or roller-rink, we share a special tribal bond that can never be broken.
Our childhood experiences, whether good or bad, are the foundation on which the rest of our lives are built. We share a profound social history and connection with the neighborhood friends, classmates and cousins we grew up with.
Outside our immediate families, our childhood connections were our first experiences in the outside world. As we were growing up together we were also exploring the world, building relationships, and learning about ourselves through one another. Chances are you were with the people from your youth when you shared your first kiss, had your first beer, attended your first concert, smoked your first cigarette(or joint), felt your first heartache, endured your first body piercing (maybe by me in the girls washroom at school) or drove your first car. These are big events in the life of a young person.
Our childhood friends were the ones we turned to when our lives were in chaos. Whether that chaos resulted from unstable home environments, world events, our own personal struggles or when we had to cope with the loss of a loved one for the first time, we relied on each other to pull through.
Often people that go through traumatic events together, such as a plane crash, are bonded for life. This bond is sealed by the deep emotional experience they have shared. Going through childhood and youth is similar. In our youth we go through a series of significant emotional events usually with our childhood friends and classmates. These shared experiences can seal the connections between us forever.
It is these deeply rooted ties that drive us to seek reunions and reminisce. These reunions allow us to travel back in time, to perhaps see things in a new light and with new wisdom.
Whether you were an all star sports hero, a bully or you were bullied, revisiting these times can allow us to heal, allow us to reflect on how far we’ve come, allow us an opportunity to gain perspective and be grateful for the people and things we didn’t give thanks for back in the day, or apologize to those we hurt.
For those from my era, we grew up in a time when; we knew the people in our neighborhoods. We could safely play hockey or jacks in the middle of the road, hung out at the park from dawn till dusk and played unsupervised in the creek all summer long. We rode our bikes everywhere (without helmets) often with someone on the handle bars. Penny candy was “a thing” and we paid for it with bottles we found as we rummaged in dirty ditches. We were not tied to our phones, but fought over the one phone that hung on the kitchen wall. We passed paper notes back and forth in class and if we missed the school bus we walked home as there were no helicopter parents to swoop in and pick us up.
Compared to a child born today, we lived an unencumbered youth, free to roam and led by our curious nature, youthful energy and each other.
Then, the day arrived when we stood at the doorway to adulthood, stepped over the threshold, and we scattered, taking bits and pieces of each other with us.
As adults our lives got busy building families, building careers, building new communities and new tribes. But always hanging on to those bits of pieces of our youth.
Now as many of us head into retirement we have time to reflect on the bonds we built early in our lives. Our desire to pull out those bits and pieces and revisit our childhood tribe is normal, healthy and can bring about great healing and comfort because only we know what it was like to grow up the way we did and that truth connects us.
To those from my childhood, we’ve come along way together even during the years we were apart. I’m glad you’ve been a part of my story and my Tribe, and that’s the ties that bind us.
The sun does not twinkle like the stars. A rose can not bloom into a buttercup. And, you can’t yell at a tulip and demand that it grow into a daffodil, (well you can, but you’re wasting your breath).
Some flowers bloom in the spring, some bloom in the summer. Some need a little rain, some need a lot. Every flower is a miracle, even the ones we call weeds and each one will bloom when it’s their time.
The most beautiful gardens are a blend of splendid colours, varying shapes and sizes and home to an interesting collection of birds, bees, bugs and little ponds filled with all sorts of fascinating life that happily coexist.
You and I are a part of this garden of 7.5 billion little creatures splashing around in different ponds, trying to coexist.
Perhaps, if we were a little more patient, more tolerant and a little more kind towards each other we could “happily” coexist.
So can we please appreciate our unique and beautiful differences and stop yelling at each other to be the same? It serves no purpose, because in the end, we can only bloom into who we’re meant to be.
The Whimsey Angel 