When I stop to write haiku, I gain a lot of insight about myself, what I believe, what’s important, how and what I’m feeling, how I hold myself back and how I take leaps forward…

The Tigger Years

I’ve lived a lot of my early to mid adult life doing… moving from one thing to the next, essentially “on” when I’m awake and often, unfortunately, when I’m trying to sleep (see my insomnia videos here). At times, I’ve felt more like a human doing than a human being and have jokingly referred to this as my Tigger nature.

The past few years I’ve had to face my Tigger nature, especially when it interfered with taking care of and tending to myself and also with being present in intimate relationships. I see how it can block me from slowing down, noticing and being present.

Haiku to the Rescue

Haiku bounced into my life on a truck’s bumper sticker one autumn day, its gift, a laugh and the deeper realization that the simplicity, flexibility and power of this form was calling to me.

So I started playing with haiku on and off for years and at the end of 2016, a friend sent an email with a spontaneously written haiku which started my avalanche of haiku writing. See the 12 days of Christmas Haiku.

Tigger represents movement to me – of my mind, my heart, my body… and like free dancing, it slows me down so I can listen inside and hear what my heart is speaking, in haiku. This opens me to something larger than who I think I am.

Dance… seasons of life.
Haiku journey to the Self.
Frost to Blazing Sun!

There’s an elegance that emerges when I place my mind aside and slow down… not always an easy task, especially when I’m frustrated, scared, hurt or anxious, and, like this haiku describes, I thaw a little more and touch my inner light, my Blazing Sun when I let go.

What do you do to quiet the mind and hear the messages inside you especially when scared, frustrated, hurt, etc.? Please share in the comments section below.