'everything happens for a reason'

The picture is from PostSecret but I would like to say that sometimes, 'everything happens for a reason' can be the worst thing to say to someone. I know. I've been there and I'm sure you have to. I hope I've never said that to you, but if I have, I apologize from the bottom of my heart.

Bitter Heart

'In the Desert'  
Stephen Crane

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter – bitter", he answered,
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."

This has been one of my favorite poems since I first read it in high school.  To me it's about embracing our imperfections. My heart may be bitter but I like it for what it is and also because it's part of who I am. I'm not a literary analyst but that's what I've always taken from this poem.

Warning (by Jenny Joseph)

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Jenny Joseph

That is one of my favorite poems.
But I don't think those who know me would be shocked or surprised when I 'wear purple'.

A fresh start

I've decided to focus more on the positive.  You may (or may not) notice that I deleted all previous posts except for the very first one. It became tedious and depressing always focusing on the negative.  I don't know what I'll do with this blog now but it won't be acrimonious any more.  Thus the change to Aimless Allocution :)  Maybe I'll post recipes, or news commentary, or who knows what...

Here's to new beginnings!