Lighthouse

The seas around me rage

            My crew and me

The mast and keel engage

Water pounding

            Skies drowning

Thunder Sounding

            My nose is wet with snot

            It’s all I’ve got that’s me

 Crying, praying, puking, heaving

Where am I?

 Lost in a storm I do not know

            In a sea I’ve never seen

Surrounded by hateful waves

            Determined to destroy my being.

 We have the strength

            We have the skill

To ride another wave

            Uphill.

 I need that light

 The one that says

            Here I am

And there you are

            Come no closer

 Be brave

Be strong

Stay your course

Use your skill

To ride that next wave

            Straight up … still

 That light says

            I’m not lost

            I’m right on course

            I’m safe in the storm

            Carry on

Crying, praying, puking, heaving

 The storm washes my face

            And cleanses my soul

Challenges my complacency

            And makes me whole.

 Breathing salt air

            Standing on naves

My tongue coated with mist

            Tasting the waves

Hearing the thunder

            Loosing the trappings of safer graves.

 Bigger ships

            And tiny boats

We face the seas

            And aim to float

Without direction

            We are doomed to fail

            Calm waters

            New waters

            Stormy gales

 We climb aboard young and old

Take on the journey that ends in gold

We learn our trade

            As we travel

Life’s mysteries, challenges,

Follies unravel.

 Where is the light

            That shines within

The hope that breathes a rose

            A love beyond buried sin

 The light shining on a distant shore

            Piercing my heart as never before

Calls to me of safely

            Navigating my ship

Through treacherous waters

            At a peaceful clip.

Donning my gear

            And shoring my lines

Kneeling while praying

            And clearing my mind

Loving the salt fresh

            Taste in my mouth,

Needing the wind

            In my hair in my brow

Knowing my travels

            Have led me here

The lighthouse on the cape

            Displaces my fear.

ATON

 ATON is an acronym that means "Aid to Navigation." That is what this site is - an Aid to Navigating Life's Rhythms. Why Life's Rhythms? Because Life is eb and flow, up and down, good days and bad days, sunshine and storms. We need to know how to navigate all of it. Some of it is easier than others, but it doesn't have to be sink or swim. Sometimes it is just about floating, treading water, breathing, observing, or staying put until there is a clear direction. 

Lighthouses are intended to be reference points for ships out at sea. A lighthouse is an Aid to Navigation. It is not the only aid, but it is an aid. So this site, like a lighthouse, is intended to be one aid among many, a vessel of light to help you along life's journeys.  

For a brief period during the global pandemic, the world was quiet. It hit a reset button, and many of us are learning new ways to navigate what feels like a similar world but does not always behave like a familiar world. There are, however, certain aspects of our world that are always consistent - like gravity. I believe that knowing the foundational never changing principles of this world - like gravity - will help us navigate this paradigm shift. These principles are like the light in the darkness, the lighthouse in a storm, that can help us steer clear of danger - if we choose to observe the light. It is always a choice, but choice without knowledge is devastating. Babies learn about gravity by falling as they learn to walk. I am only sharing what I have learned while I learned to walk. We can always learn from our own mistakes, but it is wisdom to also learn from other's mistakes. Have fun:)