Caroline Shirley Educator, Writer, Artist

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If anything good comes out of times of oppression or trauma, maybe it is a chance to turn inward and reassess our own values and priorities. At one moment, we could be on top, and the next, we are not. Should either position stymie us, blocking our ability for success or happiness? Does being on top relegate us to having survivors guilt or turning a blind eye? Does being on the bottom mean we surrender to defeat? Of course there is no one answer. But being aware of our position in this worldly farris wheel allows us to not only see ourselves, but it also positions us in a vantage point to see others. All positions require us to reach out to each other and hold concern and compassion as paramount as we all navigate our own trajectories in this life.

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The time may never feel right.
The words may never be perfect.
The actions may never feel connected.
The work may never seem complete.
The hours may never be sufficient.
The feeling may never settle correctly.
But if we wait for the perfect storm to hit before we move again, we may be forever paralyzed.





M.Shirley

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So many turning their heads: ‘it doesn’t affect me or mine, so why should I care.
Let me continue to step over you to buy this and stare at my own reflection.’
Hard to watch and harder to stomach.
Have to be on the lookout to see better.
Have to be on the lookout to be better.

Time to inconvenience ourselves.

As you take the fourth picture of your Warbucks latte, giggling at your own coyness and delighted at your likes,
A small girl scratches together some remnants of old teabags to feed her little brother in the crater that once was her home.
In the same day, you casually walk away from a plateful of beautiful foods you had no intention of eating; it was merely a prop to show your followers your wealth, your decadence, your supreme taste.
And in your wake, the children scream for a father who will never return, a missing mother, a sister taken, and a life somewhere shielded from the evilness of their oppression and the emptiness of your heart.

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Turn off your filters.
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All of us have been hurt at least one time in our lives. And sometimes, the hurt leaves such a wound that we do not want to open ourselves up to the possibility of ever feeling it again. In the wake of that pain, we often find ways to shield ourselves. But shielding has its consequences.

Sometimes, people will default to having shallow or insignificant connections and relationships, and sometimes they will put on false personas. And then, in order to handle a life with such established coping mechanisms, they will lie to themselves telling themselves that they don’t need anyone, or that they are better than others. But these kinds of charades can lead to a deep sadness and feeling of isolation. To feign imperviousness, is to shut out chances to love and to know others on any meaningful level because it is not being authentic with others or with oneself.

In any relationship of depth, intimacy, or authenticity, we have to allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We have to be able to trust that the other person will understand us and support us in times of hardship, loss, failure, embarrassment, or struggle.
That requires setting aside our false personas of expertise, perfection, or not caring.
To have healthy, satisfying, and long lasting relationships of any kind, we should match ourselves with people who are willing to be real with us and with whom we can feel safe to be real too.

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At some point, you can see things and people very clearly. And once you do, you are able to decide what stays and what goes in your life.
There is simply not enough time nor energy to be had or to spend on or with those who are diametrically opposed to your truth.

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Want to call it karma? Ok.
Want to call it manifesting? Fine.
Want to call it law of attraction. Sure.
Want to call it good ol’ comeuppance? Great.
But however people may want to hide, cover, escape, ignore, gloss over, turn their backs on, be assured, it is coming back.

- Are you a monster?

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