THE BLACK BOARD
Do you remember the huge over-sized black boards
from school?
I do and I also remember cleaning them,
back and forth with the erasers, from top to bottom,
removing all the scribbles, math problems,
and words of the day. Then at the end of each week,
we would wipe them down with wet sponges
giving a black sheen to the entire board.
I can see it now; standing back looking up
at that clean huge black board
and wishing I could be the first one to pick up
a knew long piece of white chalk and write on it.
Such a silly and childish memory
but one that continues to remind me
how important it is to start each day
with a fresh and clean slate.
I believe, every so often, all aspects of our lives
need a good once over with a big wet sponge.
From our homes with their many junk drawers
and over-stuffed closets, to our emotional baggage
that so often smothers our joy,
we need to allow ourselves the opportunity
to clean away the old and start fresh.
When I see a brand new tablet or journal,
words immediately begin to swirl around
inside my head.
When I open a newly organized kitchen drawer,
I imagine a new recipe that will utilize
all the tools that had been buried
under a lot of nonsense.
Or when we take on a new career,
we realize how much further we can stretch
our intelligence.
The same feeling of wonderment arises
when I meet someone new or nurture
a relationship that had been neglected.
It opens up new conversations, which in turn
enlightens my insatiable inquisitiveness
about life.
When the space around me is crowded, cluttered,
and impossible to see through,
I feel stuck and frustrated.
My daily responsibilities begin to feel
overwhelming and smothering.
I have always needed some fresh open space
to breath and feel alive.
Doesn’t everyone?
The idea here, I have found, is that looking
at a clean slate invites new ideas and
stirs something inside of me
that makes me feel young, energized, and excited.
Without it, I cease to grow
and my days simply drift by.
This, my friends, is entirely unacceptable.
So give me a set of erasers any day
and watch how shiny I can make that black board.
Then step aside
as I let my little old imagination soar! ♡
