I climbed into the gutter
To see what it was like
I wallowed in it for awhile
I got an awful fright

I kicked and sputtered, tossed and turned
And rolled around a bit
And bathed in mud from head to foot
I clambered out of it

The mud it stuck to various parts
I rolled it in a ball
And threw it right back at myself
In fact, I made ME fall

Then I got the flu again
And blamed myself for it
I got more mud and slapped it on
I felt a stupid twit

I started feeling guilty
And took that out on me
A vicious spiral felt by all
I fought to set me free

I took a course, I bought a book
I put some time aside
I'm climbing high right out of it
No way you'll see me hide

It's just as well I took that fall
It was an awful thud
I wasn't staying there, no way!
It's just I don't like mud.

Copyright ©  Sharon K 1996

 Stresses here, stresses there
 Mounting stresses everywhere
 Put them all in separate files
 Stretch them out for miles and miles

 Each has a portfolio
 Each one with it's share of woe
 How much of this can I take?
 Must have limits for my sake

 Sharing "freak outs" 'round I say
 Gets me through each stressful day
 Can't spin out on each the same
 So I play the priority game

 How much "freak out" for this one?
 Through the list 'til I am done
 Seems there is a finite share
 Of freaking out in life's great snare

 There's a choice that I can make
 Only so much I can take
 Choose how much to spend on this
 And choose how much to spend on bliss

 Sharon K ©  Copyright 1997

 Back to Top

Have you ever
Stopped to think
When tearing hair
And on the brink

Of wanting out
Of things to come
That all those things
Aren't even done

They haven't happened
Yet you act
As if they're here...
You just react

React to what?
It's in your mind
You liken it
To what's behind

Yet when it comes
You find you sail
Right through it all
Without a wail

Why did you waste
That energy?
Maybe next time
You will just "be".

Copyright © Sharon K 1997 

Worry doesn't change a thing
It only wastes my energy
Thinking madly of a thing
That may not even come to be

Worry is a thing I do
To stop a useful thing being done
To block the flow of life I live
And stop myself from having fun

Caste those "worry" thoughts away
And focus on what's happening now
Focus on the positive side
Just start with what you can allow

Copyright © Sharon K 1994

Back to Top
 

Life isn't as we all expect
It doesn't go that way
We have to make the most of it
And take it day by day

Have no regrets about the past
And do not live in fear
Of what might come, and never does
Just put your focus here

Here in this moment, that's the place
To make the most of life
Whatever comes, just turn it 'round
Create some joy from strife

I know you have that strength in you
I've seen it there before
Just draw on that to see you through
Don't look back anymore.

Copyright © Sharon K 1993

What's that stiffness in my neck?
Feel that lump come in my throat
Stomach dropping to my knees
Feel like I just missed the boat

Panic rising to my head
Heartbeat racing, breathing fast
Can I do it? Will I fail?
How long will these feelings last?

Apprehension overwhelms
Nervous twitching, fingers curled
Tension headache, aching back
All these symptoms now unfurled

Now my body's overrun
Hormones racing from my glands
Must release it, let it out
How to do it's in my hands

Lost our way of fight or flight
Stored up anger, unreleased
Words and shouting flung about
Now it's time that raging ceased

Relaxation, that's the key
Integration of the mind
Exercise, good food to eat
Leave those worries far behind

Hold that stress out at arm's length
Draw it, write it, let it go
Roll it in a little ball
Throw it out, release that woe

Find the tools you have inside
Make a choice to be serene
Welcome stress, become its friend
Don't put life in quarantine.

Copyright © Sharon K. 2000

If you will give up on your dreams
Life just doesn't go as it seems
You wallow, and cry, all alone
You whimper, you wail and moan
You're stuck, you're so hampered inside
Can't face life out there, so you hide
Could it be that you're opting out
Of facing one hell of a clout?
You can't get a refund on time
You waste it, up hills you won't climb
That moment has gone, with remorse
You stumble along on your course
So how do you get to your goal
Of filling that terrible hole?
You must get in touch with your dreams
When life doesn't go as it seems.

Copyright © Sharon K. 2001
 

This is your life, you only get one chance.
So do you march, or will you learn to dance?
There is no refund if you make mistakes.
Just worms to tell you, "Buddy, them's the breaks."
Friend, will you trudge or twirl from birth to rest,
A follower, or with a new step blessed?
The pattern you'd create could die with you.
At death's door, looking back its loss you'd rue.
Now break your stride and learn to skip along.
Life isn't just a drum beat; it's a song.
'Til now you've never capered, pranced, or twirled?
There's time if you are yet within this world.

This is your life to get through, march or dance.
Your life, and you control it.  What's your stance?

Copyright © Larry A. Tilander 2001

I grieve, I hurt, I harm myself
Don't know which way to go
Rehash the past, relive the pain
I want to let it go
Please help me, hold me, understand
My memory is marred
By sadness, overwhelming me
Emotions really scarred
Anxiety attacks again
Then fear, loss of control
The loss of life, so truly loved
In time, sure takes its toll.

Copyright © Sharon K. 2001