There is a negative Nelly living deep within my brain
His complaints are always different, yet they’re really all the same
The soundtrack he lays down is one of cacophonous strife
A circuitous litany on the grievances of life

He cannot see the awe in scudding clouds through window panes
All he sees are heavy skies and the promise of more rain
He cannot feel the pure touch of the wind that stirs the trees
All he feels is spiked annoyance at the growing piles of leaves
He cannot hear the pure notes in the chorus of the birds
All he hears is his own diatribe of harshly spoken words

Yet there are days when Nelly’s absent, along with all his fears
In the space left by his chuntering a weightlessness appears
As calm as floating driftwood upon a sunlit, still blue lake
My brain is freed to notice the enchantments of this place

I step into the garden, feel the grass between my toes
Into beauty always there, hidden under layers of woes

I see the Robin bobbing in the wind as he flits from tree to tree
I see the trust that lives in this old soul when he stops to chat with me
I feel the kiss of the first raindrops, falling softly from the sky
I feel the remnants of all tension ebb in a long and gentle sigh
I hear the silent space within me, connected to more than I can touch
In this place of quiet wonder, nothing seems to matter much.

Welcome back to Sunday rhyme time, so pleased you could join me. I’m in a good place at the moment, which always throws into sharp relief how my brain works when it gets stuck in negative patterns of thinking. One thing I’ve found to be an instant pick-me up when this happens is to get outside into nature. What works for you to derail that negative voice in your brain?

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