Making Peace with Dah Process

OMG, it really can drive you bonkers
Bureaucracy
Slaves to the process
Rigidity that gives you nightmares
Paper, paper, paper and more paper
Goodbye thought
Goodbye spontaneity
Goodbye dynamism
Goodbye productivity
You should appreciate the persistence
That stalker-like follow up
It's really, really good
And because you know it is needed
That there is value in it
You keep biting your swollen tongue
And tell your inner big green guy, that today's not that day
You remind yourself that process is necessary
You have to respect it
And you smile secretly
Cause you know no one is gonna tame the rebel
Ain't no one gonna quench that spirit
Sap your power
You can play the game, play it well
Do the parts you don't like
And still enjoy the fire that is you
You whisper to greenie that it is all good
There's a season for everything


Keri S. Smith

Control the Tentacles

And you're up
The tentacles begin their search for what to latch on to
Are we happy today?
What was it that we had to worry about again?
Are we mad? Upset? Indifferent?
You're in a quandary
The tentacles extend, pushing through to help discern
what kind of mood we will be in today
Is today a power day?
Or an 'I don't feel like it' day?
Can we hide out?
Or must we show up?
What are we really about?
Mental renewal is a heck of a thing
It is mandatory
Critical to function
The tentacles need strict guidance
each moment
We need constant reminders of purpose
Bind them around your neck
Write them on your heart
Danger abounds in foolish thinking
Channel the tentacles, give them only one pathway
Guard the heart with much diligence
It is the wellspring of life


Keri S. Smith

Amen to a God of Specifics

You've been through tough times before
You committed that this time would be different
You would follow what He said from beginning to end
It got really tough
You prayed
You read
He promised that He would deliver
He said be anxious for nothing
You saw how others trusted Him through much worse
and were blessed
Daniel, Job, Jesus
It got tougher, uglier
You prayed in aggregate and in detail
You got really specific
Like Nehemiah, you shared a plan
You asked Him to bless it
You read some more
You got comfort from the Word
You remembered Him asleep on the ship in that horrendous storm
His followers in such a panic
He calmly awakes and says to the worriers "O ye of little faith"
He rebukes the wind and the seas, and all is well
Then the situation got even louder
You thought about tactics of old - the debilitating worry, the panicked planning, fault finding, the insecurity
And with His help, you had no use for such behavior
You stood up and took action
You surprised yourself - you were not worried
You 100% banked on His Word, and showed up each and every day...through it all
And with it came confidence, a new level of leadership
Your Friend had your back
He said you could do all things through Him
He expected much, and provided much
Amen. Amen. Amen. You found peace in the midst of chaos
You held on tight to His Word
He made you stronger, ready for the next battle
How awe-inspiring
You are left so grateful, so inspired, so in love
Muchas gracias for the gift


Keri S. Smith

Habits

Sweeping clean
It's in the past
New resolve
Fresh perspective
You've grown up
and all the time everything you say is in comparison to It
How to avoid It
Get rid of It
Move beyond It
Forget It
And somehow you can't quite run away from It
BECAUSE of the sheer mental energy you spend on
analyzing, dissecting, and solving for...It
Man, oh, man
So now you are trying a novel approach
Don't worry about trying to stop It
Just find a new IT to focus on
A more worthy IT, a healthier IT
Hallelujah for the new and improved...IT


Keri S. Smith

Quote of the Day - Laugh

Laughter is gold

- Keri S. Smith

No speaka Spanish - No wanta speaka to you @ all anyway

Telemarketers, I have a few questions for you

? ? ? ?

1) How on earth did I get on your Spanish speakers' distribution list? Yeh, I did Spanish in High school and 2 semesters in college, but I am not fluent. Why I am now getting automated pitches en espanol from y'all?

2) How many times can you give a "last" or "final" offer on opportunities? In a week, you leave me automated messages saying that this is the last chance I have to opt-in to your offer. Dude, there can only be one last. See Dictionary.com for details

3) Why the cell? Fine, you leave messages on my landline. Annoying, but I can live with it. But, my Blackberry? And once you dared to contact me on my iPhone. That's violation. Stop it.

Gotta pay wifey back!

A few days ago, I was riding in a cab late at night. We are approaching my apt complex and I notice that there is an "OUT OF ORDER" sign on the cabbie's credit card machine - well, it's really a piece of paper with the words written in blue, rubber banded on to the machine.

Keri: "We need to go to an ATM because I have no cash"

Cabbie: "It's OK, we'll figure something out"

Keri: "You don't have to drop me off in front of my building, just circle and go to the ATM so that I can pay you. I have no cash"

Cabbie: *Waves his hands in the air* "Don't worry about it, we'll figure it out"

I give him a confused look as he pulls up in front of my building. Cabbie then turns around and reaches his arm back into my section of the vehicle. Huh?!

He grabs on to the credit card machine and removes the "OUT OF ORDER" sign. I look at him. I start to laugh. He looks at me with a sheepish grin and we both start laughing.

Cabbie: "My wife loaned me the money to buy taxi and EVERY NIGHT I go home, she ask for CASH. Money, money, money. She wants me to pay off the loan. People only want to use card, but I need cash. We have expenses too. I need to buy food, gas. I need cash. And I need to pay wife."

We start laughing again. I swipe my card, and make sure to give him a good tip - wifey needs to be paid!

Necessity is the mother of invention!