I Will Exercise Every Day

I will exericse my right
to feel human,
to be C__
and not Ms. G___.

I will exercise my ability
to move;
I will move my body, yes,
and I will move the
minds of my students,
hearts of my readers.

I will exercise my freedom
to sleep,
to sleep thoroughly and deeply
and, on weekends, long.

I will exercise the freedom
of speech,
my right to opine and whine,
to declare offense
and common sense.

(Didn't you resolve to swear less?"
a colleague asks.
No, I will exercise my right
not to make certain resolutions,
my freedom to retain
certain vices and
focus on others.
Therefore, I will
exercise my ability,
however unwise,
to say "f*ck.")

I will exercise my attitude,
give the old bitch a workout;
and I will exercise
my muscles of humility.
I will exercise the
ironic beauty of paradox.

Yes, in this new year,
I will exercise every day.

Mindful

This is how I want to live. Many other bloggers I regularly read are talking about resolutions and intentions and goals. I have them, too -- many of them, some of which I've even written down. But thematically speaking, I want to be mindful, I want to be intentional, I want to be balanced, I want to be obedient to the various callings to which I've committed.

Mindful
by Mary Oliver



Every day
   I see or I hear
      something
         that more or less



kills me
   with delight,
      that leaves me
         like a needle



in the haystack
   of light.
      It is what I was born for–
         to look, to listen,



to lose myself
   inside this soft world–
      to instruct myself
         over and over



in joy,
   and acclamation.
      Nor am I talking
         about the exceptional,



the fearful, the dreadful,
   the very extravagant–
      but of the ordinary,
         the common, the very drab,



the daily presentations.
   Oh, good scholar,
      I say to myself,
         how can you help



but grow wise
   with such teachings
      as these–
         the untrimmable light



of the world,
   the ocean’s shine,
      the prayers that are made
         out of grass?