Moat

March 6

MOAT

I dug the moat; the alligators came on their own. The rain fell; I did not bid it. I’ve burned all the bridges. I’ve sold the farm. I wonder at the company I keep. The birds fly in; some stay for a season. Friends used to wave as they passed. Now my island is overgrown; I stand to my chin in the tall grass. I guess it’s a matter of maintenance. What I don’t keep pruned grows back. The connections I don’t secure weaken and fail. I am subject to all that falls if I don’t keep my roof. The wind chaps me without the walls of my home. No clothes, I burn. No joy and all I do is cry. It takes more than a continuous ditch to protect my heart. More than water and reptiles to safeguard my soul.

Memorize an affirmation for a pet.

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What and When, When and How……and Why

Arriving at the place where I have nothing to prove,

afforded me the luxury of not having to proclaim

the amount of time I have, when I share in a meeting.

Taking the score keeping out of the equation

I was then able to think of what it was

that motivated me to speak in a meeting.

Self-Possession, a great gift to inhabit,

a greater gift to demonstrate;

quiet dignity is a real favorite of mine.

If I am calm yet in control,

if there is time, if there is a lull,

I can share parts of my experience.

If I have chaos, an agenda, a theory, a grudge

it is all better left unsaid in the meeting

and saved for the less vulnerable ear of my sponsor.

For if I am wrong I might persuade in error

and if I am right I might convert in righteousness.

Why is it that what I never say

rings louder than anything I do?