Coming to terms with an unnecessary toll

There’s a toll bridge in New Jersey
that may cost a governor
a toll much more than what most drivers pay.
For the toll Bridgegate may levy
could destroy Chris Christie’s dreams
all because his thoughtless staffers misbehaved.

And the moral of this lesson
is to choose our colleagues well.
Those with whom we work can undermine our goals.
Building trust that spans the chasm
of our disconnected lives
can alleviate the price of unseen tolls.

Learning to accept what life hands us

Old man winter’s icy grip
refused to let us go.
We felt his cold unprecedented squeeze.
We shivered almost helplessly,
a victim of his grasp.
He held us hostage silencing our pleas.

He canceled flights (and classes, too)
disrupting our routines.
He ruthlessly attacked and claimed some lives.
Yes, old man winter showed his strength
as if we’d be impressed
while all we did was fight just to survive.

It’s humbling to realize
(in spite of pedigrees),
there are some things we simply can’t control.
And weather is one of those things.
It never takes a vote.
It trumps our wants and then it takes a toll.

At times like this we must accept
what can’t be dodged or changed
no matter how we’d like to run away.
But when we just embrace “what is”
and dance with it face-on,
we learn to waltz with hardship and to pray.