Tag Archives: life journey

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Where the Sidewalk Ends

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a poem by Shel Silverstein (1930-1999)

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
and there the grass grows soft and white
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

by Shel Silverstein, 1974

When I start slipping into seriousness, I turn to Shel Silverstein to lighten up. Reading his poems with kids is better than blowing bubbles on San francisco’s BART train.

Want more fun? Watch this link on YouTube-

Enjoy!

tio stib

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Without

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there is no happy
without sad
there is no good
without bad

there is no high
without low
there is no stop
without go

there is no wrong
without right
there is no dark
without light

there is no courage
without fear
there is no far
without near

there are no tears
without smiles
there is no distance
without miles

there is no quiet
without din
there is no out
without in

there is no wild
without tame
there is no different
without same

there is no peace
without strife
such are the facts
of daily life

and from these truths
I choose my fate

I will be love
and without hate

tio stib
2015, 2022, 2025

Unknown's avatar

Homeless

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my cane bumped into him on the sidewalk
stopped by stuff that had fallen from his little train
the wagons of belongings he pulled behind

we’d met before
crossing paths as we wandered unseen
unnoticed
through our silent town

and here he was again
the mutterings
the smell of tobacco and ragged clothes

good morning, I said
as he scurried to tidy up
mumbling a response
making room for me to pass

I walked by

wondering

about two solitary men
homeless in our different ways

tio stib

Unknown's avatar

He Talks To Me, a Tribute to Alex VoiceOver

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he talks to me
like 2001 Space Odyssey
his name’s not Hal
he’s not my pal
but his words help my blindness see

his voice is suave, it soothes my ears
his speech does much to ease my fears
for in a world of darkened eyes
I really don’t like being surprised

it’s nice to have a constant friend
someone who shows up on command
a friend who calmly reassures
as my computer softly purrs

at least that’s what he used to do
then my computer bid adieu
the fateful day it tried to start
resulting in a cosmic fart

close your eyes
imagine this
your cyber world
is blown amiss
no matter what you try to do
it’s gone
it’s lost
you’re really screwed

when reason slowly comes to mind
you must accept it’s time to find
an Apple freak,
a nerdy geek
someone who makes computers speak

it took some time to find the player
the guy who answered all my prayers
and hours and hours of fitful strife
before the dead returned to life

such happiness, such joy no end
when once again I heard my friend
Alex, awakened from the dead
his voice resounding in my head

dedicated to Mark who introduced me to Alex and Kevin who brought him back to life

tio stib
2015, 2025

Unknown's avatar

Paddling a Submarine vs. Living an Authentic Life 

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Last night I dreamed I was paddling a canoe up a lake in the middle of the night. It was calm, I felt peaceful, yet there was one concern. The canoe was underwater. I was trying to paddle a submarine.

I’ve spent years listening to my dreams, paying attention to patterns, weighing the emotions of dreams with respect to my life at the moment. I believe larger forces speak to me in that unconscious world, forces that can guide me to awareness of deeper truths. This pushes me to wonder, why was I paddling a submarine?

I know there are many ways to interpret dreams, but ultimately, I tend to accept that my dreams are about me. Over the years, I’ve noticed that when I’m honest about how I feel in my dreams, they have given me clues to parts of me I needed to pay attention to.

Paddling a submarine. I feel this dream was about my need to live an authentic life. Paddling the canoe was me moving forward in life. My goal was to get to the end of the lake, to a state of inner peace, but I was struggling because I was keeping my emotions below the surface. If I would allow my feelings to express themselves above the water, I would have less resistance to life and my journey would be immensely easier.

I need to be genuine, original, true and trustworthy, and not be in fear of what the world may think of me in my many moments of smallness.

Authenticity means to be honest, to be vulnerable, to take risks. Authenticity is built one day, one choice, at a time. It is a process of continually stepping out of my comfort zone and engaging the world from a place of worthiness vs. shame.

Authenticity is a daily journey into the wilderness of being fully alive.

What’s the greater risk I ask myself? Living life based on what other people think, or being vibrantly alive based on how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?

This blog, “Travels with Tio, a blind writer’s path to happiness,” is my journey, my choice, to be all of me, fully alive. It is one way I will raise myself from paddling a submarine, to paddling a canoe, to perhaps even flying.

What does authenticity mean to you? How does it affect your life?
Please share your feelings on being the authentic “you”.

tio Stib
2013, 2017, 2018, 2025

Brene’ Brown has a TED talk, “Listening to Shame,” in which she explores the challenges of authenticity. Brown believes authenticity is a process, a series of choices we make in our lives, choices made each day, in each moment, to be real…or not.

Here’s the link: http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/15/opinion/brown-authentic-self/index.html?hpt=op_bn2

Unknown's avatar

Old Men Walking Dogs

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I meet a lot of old men walking dogs
sometimes we stop and talk a bit
how’s it going? 
what’s your dog’s name

Charlie
Galahad
Spook
one guy is a poet who offers his daily verse
I listen, smile, and pet Rocky

continuing on, I wonder
should I get a dog?

do I need a dog?

my daughter thinks so
she’s always urging me 
you need a pet
something to fill the hole in your life
the emptiness from losing your wife

yes, I concur
there is a hole
certainly an emptiness
but there is also a deep, rich
feeling of gratitude
that I was blessed to have had
even for a short time
the bliss of perfect love

I do like dogs
have had a few over the course of years
but these beautiful creatures require, yes need
a certain kind of responsible care
and you can’t just lay them off on your kids
like grandchildren
when you tire and can’t keep up your end of the deal

so I do my morning walks alone
greet the other old men passing by
pet their dogs
and walk on

but I’m never alone

love is always with me now


tio stib


Unknown's avatar

Climbing Mountains

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Gasping from my lofty climb
I search for shadows left behind
The ghosts of journeys once so strong

how can it be
they’re so far gone

In this forlorn solitude
my spirit aches to be renewed
to share the path of life again

to walk beside a noble friend


tio stib
2015, 2025
Unknown's avatar

All the Lovely People

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the grocery clerk who
bags my things
the coffee man 
who sometimes sings
postman, gardener, neighbors too
greeting me with

how are you?

all the lovely people
who lift me on my way
their nods, their smiles, their greetings
that brighten up each day

and as I lay my head to rest
my heart full, I must confess

my simple life 

is richly blessed


tio stib



Unknown's avatar

Life in Reverse, By George Carlin

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George Carlin, bless his brilliant and irreverent mind, has moved on to the great comedy stage in the sky, but he leaves many laughs behind him. I think his piece on “Life in Reverse” is all-time hilarious. Wouldn’t it be great if life actually worked this way-

tio stib

Life in reverse By George Carlin

In my next life I want to live my life backwards.
You start out dead and get that out of the way.
Then you wake up in an old people’s home
feeling better every day.
You get kicked out for being too healthy,
go collect your pension,
and then when you start work,
you get a gold watch and a party on your first day.
You work 40 years
until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement.
You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous,
then you are ready for high school.
You then go to primary school,
you become a kid,
you play.
You have no responsibilities,
you become a baby until you are born.
And then you spend your last 9 months
floating in luxurious spa-like conditions
with central heating and room service on tap,
larger quarters every day and then Voila!
You finish off as an orgasm.
I rest my case.

George Carlin, 1937-2008

Unknown's avatar

Flavors of Friends

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Some are vanilla,
predictably plain
Dependably true
always the same

Some are exotic
quixotic
sherbets with fireworks lives
occasionally glancing
to check others’ eyes

then the specials
like bubblegum treat
wildly different
sumptuous sweets

Yes, chocolate, strawberry,
and rocky road too
friends of all flavors
some licked and
some chewed

like ice cream
I taste them
each one of a kind
then off on their way
they melt in my mind

Yet over the years
a few friends remain
these flavors I savor

again
and again

tio stib,
2014, 2016, 2018, 2025