1.
Tit for Tat - a poem by Beth Smith
From the Community
Tit for Tat
It’s all a mess
It’s all a great big game of chess
Tit for tat
And just like that
We shatter into a million pieces
Is there no glue strong enough?
Even love
Is it not that tough?
Or is it our only hope?
But even a dove can get shot
Its body may rot
But out of its mouth
An olive sprig may drop
Where it falls it may mark the start of the life of an olive tree
A symbol of peace in Greek mythology
To protect this peace
We must make it our mission
For even a tree can be chopped down
In every decision
A choice can be found
Between love or fear
Which do we choose?
What’s our next move?
What I’m trying to say is
Life may be a mess
But it’s not just a game of chess
Where you either attack or defend
With no love in the end
And with a black or white answer
And no, I’m not saying life is grey
It’s every single colour
And today
I choose love
Are you the bullet or the dove?
What do you choose?
What does it mean to win or to lose?
And below is a reading of the above poem by Saul Bateman. Brownie points for anyone who spots the bloop.
2.
Gratitude Gallery — created by Design Calendar
From the Internet
A gallery of artworks submitted by artists from everywhere, to visually express something they are grateful for. Below is a small selection. Click the image for a link through to the artist’s profiles :).
Music, and my dad who always had some weird jazz album playing in the background since I was a kid.
Being able to express myself through making things.
I’m grateful for the video calls. I live on the other side of the world from my parents and over the last 18 months they’ve watched my kids grow over Facetime.
This is also a good time for a shoutout to Randall, who runs Thanks for Letting Me Share, where he writes and shares a daily gratitude list, along with a podcast called ‘Breakfast with an Alcoholic.’
I appreciate his simple yet very generous shares, and his commitment to choice - and to life.
3.
On Thinking - a quote from David Foster Wallace
From the Internet
"Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about "teaching you how to think" is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed."
— David Foster Wallace
GRATITUDE
What are you grateful for today? Let us know on Twitter and Instagram using our handle @cocreate_space.
Thank you so much for that!!! This was one of the first places I found when I started here on Substack and it's still my favorite. I love how you bring all of these new things to me every week and I hope it's cool when I steal an idea or two...