Author: Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

PROTECTING GAINS IS PARAMOUNT TO INVESTING SUCCESS

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Always be cautious about finance and investing statistics. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read something like: “Stock X fell 75% last year and is now up 150% this year!”

Hooray! Let’s break out the wine glasses then! Oh, but wait a minute. If I started out with $100 on Stock X, and it dropped 75%, that means I ended the year with $25.00. Now, if Stock X has jumped 150% this year, that means I now only have about $62.50 which is still about 38% less than what I started with.

Yeah. You might want to put those wine glasses away for another couple of years or so. This is why when you are nearing your investment goals that protecting your gains becomes of the utmost importance. So, always remember this, learn this valuable lesson, and don’t be misled by finance and investing statistics such as the above.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of.

#stocks #investing #stockmarket #success

ONE KEY TO INVESTING SUCCESS IS FLEXIBILITY OF APPROACH

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I would argue that perhaps the worst trait you can have as an investor is overconfidence. Many investors who experience outsized gains, attribute this success to their superior knowledge, skills, and expertise. The resulting overconfidence often leads to excessive risk taking and catastrophic failures in future years.

It’s okay to make an educated guess on how you think things might go and to position yourself accordingly, but never bank on it 100%. Because the finance and investing world is influenced by a complex, dynamic multitude of variables. And while some of these might be somewhat apparent, many others will not be. And the combined interactions and overall effects across these can result in outcomes far different than you might have initially anticipated.

So, while I do spend time trying to predict how things might go and positioning myself accordingly, it’s never 100%. If I feel very strongly about something, I might go as far as 70% (if that). I then simply observe and react to whatever happens instead of sticking to some static initial position.

As such, either way things go – whether up or down – I always have a plan. If the opposite happens from what I anticipated and positioned for, I’ll still earn gains. Just not as much as I would had things gone my way. And it’s this flexibility of approach which can lead to steady and consistent gains over time. Because you never know what might actually happen even though you might think you do. And coming to this realization can be one of the most important lessons you can learn as an investor. Simply have a plan no matter which way things might go and react to whatever happens however it happens. If you do this, you will earn steady and consistent gains over the years and decades of your life.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of.

#stocks #investing #stockmarket #success

HAPPINESS TIP: EMBODY AN ATTITUDE THAT EMPOWERS SUCCESS

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.


Most people consider knowledge, skills, and expertise to be the key determinants of one’s success in life. And while these aspects certainly do contribute to one’s success, I would argue there are two underappreciated factors which probably contribute much more to success than most people realize or give credit for:

Luck. The under appreciation of the role luck plays in the successes experienced in life often leads to overconfidence in one’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Most people who experience outsized success, attribute this success to their own superior knowledge and expertise. The resulting overconfidence often leads to excessive risk taking and catastrophic failures and outcomes. Daniel Kahneman in his outstanding book, “Thinking Fast and Slow,” indicates that poor performance is typically followed by improvement. Likewise, good performance tends to be followed by underperformance. Each of these are due to random effects alone. This is why many of the best fund managers, athletes, and CEOs celebrated one year, tend to underperform in future years and why the worst performers often outperform their peers in the years that follow. Kahneman identified multiple studies in his book which supported this. It’s simply a reversion to the mean effect.

Attitude. Having a positive attitude towards yourself, towards others, and towards life overall is instrumental for success and is something I never take for granted. If you are the type of person who genuinely cares about others, cares about the planet, cares about yourself, generously shares what you have with others, and lives with a sense of genuine appreciation then success is virtually guaranteed. The more you fill your life with caring, sharing, and appreciation, the happier you will feel and the more rewarding your life will become. Three ways to achieve this include thinking good, doing good, and being good:

  • Thinking good involves having positive thoughts towards yourself, towards others, and towards the planet whether focusing on the past, present, or future.

  • Doing good involves making positive contributions towards others and towards your surroundings.

  • Being good involves having a positive disposition and a good-hearted nature as well as a high level of integrity.


Filling your life with caring, sharing, and appreciation in these regards not only creates a happier you, but also creates happier surroundings, success, and abundance throughout the months, years, and decades of your life. 

Of the above factors, I would argue that attitude is the key determinant of success and that this is probably more important than the other two factors combined. For example, if you have been following my investment related activities (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities/) you know that this year I have experienced outsized gains in the stock market. And while most people would tout their superior knowledge and skills as being the primary factor for their success, I attribute this success much more to attitude than knowledge or skill.

For example, anytime something great happens for me, financially speaking (or otherwise), I’m a big believer in using at least part of the proceeds to offer unique opportunities to others. I create a Beneficiaries Reserve Fund for this purpose which I add to over time.

Essentially, the way my Beneficiaries Reserve Fund works is this: I have a financial target to meet and if I exceed that target, then half of the excess amount goes to me for personal use and the other half goes to the Beneficiaries Reserve Fund. It’s just a promise I’ve made to myself and kept over my years of investing.

Well, I’ve been building up this fund over several years and on the 4th of March I decided to put it to good use by helping someone who has struggled for years with a large amount of debt and high-interest-rate credit cards. I simply wanted to offer this person the stress-free experience of living debt free and the wonderful peace and joy and freedom that it brings. Earlier that day, I had earned a 13% gain on my investments. What’s interesting is what happened after I made that decision. As of Thursday (9 April), my gains had sky rocketed to 64% in only a month’s time. I earned much more in those four weeks than everything I had offered to help the friend in need. Coincidence? Perhaps. But I don’t live my life believing in coincidences. And although luck and skills might have played a role, I believe the largest factor was due to attitude and the way I live my life.

And the above is just one example of the many times I’ve been blessed with happiness and success in my life. For another recent example, a year ago I sold my house for $335,000 and used the proceeds to buy CDs paying 3.2% interest. Well, when I checked recently, the value of the house I sold was only $280,000. So, had I waited to sell, not only would I have sold it for much less but the CDs I bought would have paid about half of what I got a year ago.

I make it a daily habit to extend kindness, to be appreciative, and to value and care for the planet (humans and non-humans alike). I won’t get into the details in this post, but for those who might have interest, you can read a summarized version of the “JOE BRENNAN GRAND PHILOSOPHY ON LIFE” here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/happiness-tip-how-to-create-a-happy-priceless-beautiful-life-which-costs-nothing/ 

Try living your life this way and see if you don’t become blessed and showered and empowered with success and happiness in ways you never thought, imagined, or dreamed was possible. This is something which never ceases to amaze me and it’s happened many, many times throughout the years and decades of my life. So, I encourage you to live your life in this fashion. You won’t regret it. Because there is not one day that goes by where I am not filled with an overabundance of joy and loving appreciation for all my life has become. So, be kind to others, be appreciative, and care for the planet and you might be amazed at just how wonderful your life becomes. Because you will create happier surroundings, a happier you, and be continually blessed in the months, years, and decades to come. So do this for yourself (and others). And do it often.

This and other happiness tips and topics are provided throughout my self-help, happiness, and investment oriented books: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/


#selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #peace #mindfulness #investing #stocks

HAPPINESS TIP: OFFER GUILT-FREE GIVING AT ITS FINEST!

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

“Make a Friend Smile Day”. That’s the special occasion I created years ago as the perfect excuse to offer guilt-free giving to people going through significant financial difficulties and hardships but are just too proud to ask or accept this help. The only catch is the friend must smile when using the gift because, well, there’d be no reason to have a “Make a Friend Smile Day” if the friend didn’t smile.

Consider doing something like this for people in your life from time to time who could just use a reason to smile. A lot a people would benefit from such a gesture – especially with all of the Covid-19 issues we’re dealing with now.

I plan to buy several Publix gift cards over the next few weeks and have a “make a friend smile day” production! I hope some of you will do the same!

This and other happiness and self-improvement related tips are provided throughout my self-help oriented books and posts: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/ 

#selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #peace #mindfulness

HAPPINESS TIP: GIVE EVERYTHING THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES (AND NOTHING MORE)!

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

You can lead a rich and rewarding life by making yourself a priority and focusing on that which truly matters and disregarding the rest. So, DO NOT spend another moment doing meaningless things whether it’s a senseless task at work or home, something you’ve been invited to that you have no interest in, or somebody else’s drama or gossip which you could care less about. A great, stress-free way to handle anything you encounter in life is to simply GIVE IT THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES (AND NOTHING MORE)!

For example, if my boss gives me a pointless task I might respond, “Yes, boss. I’ll get right on that.” But if, in my opinion, it is truly a senseless task I might spend 10 minutes on it. If someone starts saying horrible things about someone else I might nod and say, “Well, it was nice seeing you,” and then be on my way. If someone else asks me to help out with something that I have no interest in I might say something like,  “I’m sorry but I’m going to be busy then,” and free up that time for something else which might be more rewarding or inspirational in nature. Another example involves posts on social media.

It’s quite concerning that much of the posts on social media are garbage. And each and every one of us, whether the readers or writers of such posts, need to take responsibility for considering the validity of these before communicating, commenting, taking actions, or propagating these. The first thing each of us need to be asking is, are good sources being cited and has sufficient fact-checking been done supporting the claims being made or are we writing or reading “empty, baseless posts” or “emotional outbursts.” I don’t care whether the posts are about Democrats, Republicans, Trump, Biden, Sanders, the Covid-19 virus, or anything else. If no credible sources are cited and no fact-checking is done then consider the posts you are writing or reading to be gossip, garbage, drama and a complete waste of everyone’s time and energy. Simply GIVE EVERYTHING THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES (AND NOTHING MORE)!

Anyone can post anything they want, but anyone who truly wants to base and communicate their judgments, opinions, and such on facts would identify good sources and do some fact-checking when communicating their positions. The amount of misinformation on social media creates mass confusion and can cause mass extreme reactions for no reason. We owe it to ourselves (and others) to identify credible sources and perform some fact-checking when communicating and consuming posts regarding concerns and potential issues.

And keep in mind that everything is debatable. We all need to be open to different viewpoints which are also based on alternate valid fact-based sources.

These are things each and everyone of us need to be mindful of. We owe it to ourselves (and others) to ONLY communicate, consume, and react to that which appears to be fact-based. Anything else is gossip, garbage, drama, and counterproductive.

And anytime you come across writers of such posts repeatedly be sure to “GIVE THEM THE ATTENTION THEY DESERVE (AND NOTHING MORE)!” Each and every time. Anytime I identify someone who repeatedly appears to be a post-writing, “baseless, gossiping, drama queen,” I treat anything they write from that point on as fairy tales and falsehoods which are laughable at best and not truly worthy of any attention at all. In fact, I’ll probably copy the link to this post as my response to these and write a polite message such as: “Thank you for that colorful post. Here is my response to that: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/happiness-tip-give-everything-the-attention-it-deserves-and-nothing-more/ . I hope all’s well with you and I wish you the very best (as always).” I encourage each and every one of you to do the same.

You can lead a happy, peaceful, stress-free life by simply giving things the attention they deserve all along the way. You don’t have to be involved with everything that comes your way or goes on around you. Especially that which seems pointless, baseless, is not well thought out, or doesn’t matter much. So many people spend so much of their lives inflating small things into big things without realizing they DO NOT have to participate. Simply step back, give it some thought, and give everything (and everyone) the attention it deserves and nothing more. Each and every time. You’re welcome.

Well, there you have it. Now, you know one of my life secrets. So, if at any time, you’re wondering why I’m not rushing out to buy that latest thing you told me about which will “change my life forever” or not following the “fantastic” advice you gave on social media, well, I might just be thinking: “Yeah. Thanks for that. I’m giving it the attention it deserves.”

This and other happiness and self-improvement related tips are provided throughout my self-help oriented books and posts: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/ 

#selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #peace #mindfulness

☆°▪︎ BURNING, BURNING BLUE ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Nothing

.

a

n

d

.

no

one . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

.

w

a

y

.

I

feel

.

w

i

t

h

.

you . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ nothing

.

a

n

d

.

no

one . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

that

bitter,

–

–

brooding

brew . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ that

bitter,

–

–

brooding

brew . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

burning,

–

–

burning

blue . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

burning,

burning

–

–

blue . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

a

place

.

w

h

e

r

e

,

nothing

moves . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ in

.

a

place

.

w

h

e

r

e

.

nothing

soothes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

it’s

nothing

.

a

n

d

.

no

one . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

.

w

a

y

.

I

feel

.

w

i

t

h

.

you . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ nothing

.

a

n

d

.

no

one . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

that

bitter,

–

–

brooding

brew . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ that

bitter,

–

–

brooding

brew,

–

–

consuming

through,

.

a

n

d

.

through,

.

a

n

d

.

through . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

burning,

–

–

burning

blue.

Reflection: This was a personal struggle-themed poem that I wrote back in Feb of 2020 where the affected party reflects on a life consumed by temptations and addictions – a life full of emptiness and nothingness. The opening verse came to me and the rest of the poem pretty much wrote itself from that. I played the songs “Tangerine” by Led Zeppelin and “Yesterday was Hard on All of Us” by Fink repeatedly at low volume in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem. If you listen to these songs at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

HAPPINESS TIP: MAKE INCREMENTAL PROGRESS AND GROW FROM THERE

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Here’s a Happiness Tip which can be helpful not only for giving up bad habits but also for working towards progress: focus initially on making incremental progress and grow from there. Two examples of how this might be applied include the following:

1) Giving Up Bad Habits. Instead of focusing solely on giving up a bad habit (smoking, unhealthy foods, drugs, alchohol, etc.) by resolving to never partake in the habits again, resolve not to partake in the habit for some increment of time which is easy for you to support (e.g. an hour, 4 hours, a day, etc.). When the time is up, simply renew your resolution for another increment of time which is easy for you to support. Once you get into the practice of this and as the desire diminishes, you can extend the increment to something more stringent but still easy for you to meet (e.g. 2 hours, 4 hours, 2 days, a week, etc.). By progressing in this fashion, you can moderate and eventually overcome the habit.

2) Working Towards Progress. During those times when you might feel unmotivated or fatigued, instead of focusing solely on achieving something in its entirety (completing work or personal tasks, completing a run or workout, completing a goal such as writing a book,  etc.) focus on continuing your efforts for some increment of time which is easy for you to support (e.g. 15 minutes, an hour, 1 mile, 50 calories, 1 hour, etc.). For example, you might tell yourself something like: “I’m going to keep running (or working) for another 15 minutes.” When the time is up, simply renew your resolution for another increment of time which is easy for you to support (perhaps even extending the increment of time to something more stringent if feasible or practical) until you have made the progress desired or complete the task, run, or workout. By progressing in this fashion, you can improve progress.

The reason this can be a good approach to take is because, in the words of David L. Swartz (from the book The Magic of Thinking Big): “Someone who wants freedom from a bad habit all at once often fails because the psychological pain is more than he or she can stand. An hour is easy; forever is difficult.” Likewise an increment of progress is easy, but the entire goal or a certain level of progress all at once can be overwhelming. So, focusing on making incremental progress can sometimes be a good approach to take.

This and other happiness and self-improvement related tips are provided throughout my self-help oriented books: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/

#selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #mindfulness #peace #love #relationships #discipline #balance #joy #optimism #positivethinking

☆°▪︎ THE SOMEDAY PLACE ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

When

I

dreamed

.

o

f

.

the

someday

place,

–

–

there

.

w

a

s

.

nothing

.

i

n

.

my

way . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

When

I

dreamed

.

o

f

.

the

someday

place,

–

–

there

were

.

n

o

.

barricades . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

it

always

became

.

a

.

weightless

gain . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ a

weightless

gain

.

o

f

.

glorious

grace . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

a

great

escape

.

f

o

r

.

better

days . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ a

great

escape

.

f

o

r

.

better

days . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

sometime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

someway . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

somewhere . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

someday . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

far

beyond

.

t

h

e

.

days

.

o

f

.

wait . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

I

could

.

s

e

e

.

everything

.

s

o

.

clearly . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

perceive

everything

.

s

o

.

dearly . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

could

–

–

perceive

everything

.

s

o

.

dearly . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

I

would

–

–

dream,

–

–

dream,

–

–

dream,

–

–

away . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

l

l

–

–

–

those

–

–

dancing

days

.

o

f

.

wait . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ all

those

–

–

dancing

days

.

o

f

.

wait . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

I

.

.

would

dream . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ when

I

.

.

would

dream

.

s

o

.

freely . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

the

someday

place.

Reflection: This was a reflective-themed poem I wrote back in Feb of 2020 where the contemplator looks back on a past filled with magic, dreams, and boundless adventure where he or she seemingly lived a wondrous life without boundaries – and ponders whether something similar might ever be experienced again. I played the haunting gem of a song “Chariot” by Beach House in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ A MILLION MILES BEHIND (WHEN DAYLIGHT SMILED) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

The

family

picnic

.

b

y

.

the

waterway

.

w

i

l

l

.

never

fade . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

when

I

.

.

close

.

m

y

.

eyes

.

I

.

c

a

n

.

drift

away,

.

a

n

d

.

affectionately

gaze

.

a

t

.

that

pristine

place . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ that

pristine

place,

–

–

where

.

t

h

e

.

beetles

.

a

n

d

.

bumblebees

played . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

humming

.

a

n

d

.

strumming

away

.

a

l

l

.

hours

.

o

f

.

the

day . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ that

pristine

place,

–

–

where

page,

–

–

after

page,

–

–

after

page,

–

–

after

page . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

you

could

.

n

o

t

.

only

bathe

.

i

n

.

the

peace

.

o

r

.

just

simply

be . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

breathe,

–

–

breathe,

–

–

breathe . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

feel,

–

–

feel,

–

–

feel . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

the

green,

–

–

green,

–

–

green . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

the

grasslands

–

–

beneath

.

y

o

u

r

.

feet . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

for

miles,

.

a

n

d

.

miles,

.

a

n

d

.

miles . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

h

e

–

–

–

daylight

smiled . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

daylight

smiled

.

s

o

.

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

so

wide . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

l

l

–

–

–

across

.

t

h

e

.

springtime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ all

across

.

t

h

e

.

springtime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

where

.

e

v

e

n

.

time

.

w

a

s

.

kind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ where

.

e

v

e

n

.

time

.

w

a

s

.

kind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

everyone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

everything . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

a

s

–

–

–

nice,

.

a

n

d

.

fun,

.

a

n

d

.

fine

–

–

all

.

t

h

e

.

while . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ all

.

t

h

e

.

while . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

beneath

.

t

h

e

.

dancing

rays

.

o

f

.

that

joy-hopping,

–

–

poetic

day . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

that

.

w

a

s

.

yesterday . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ yes,

that

.

w

a

s

.

yesterday . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

today,

.

t

h

e

.

colors

.

o

f

.

the

day

–

–

carry

.

s

u

c

h

.

weight . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

i

t

h

–

–

–

so

much

.

a

n

d

.

so

many,

–

–

heavy

shades

.

o

f

.

gray . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

the

day,

–

–

to

day,

–

–

to

day . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

n

o

w

–

–

–

creates

such

.

a

.

bitter

taste . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

compared

.

t

o

.

that

pristine,

–

–

poetic

place

.

b

y

.

the

waterway . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

everyone

.

a

n

d

.

everything

.

h

a

s

.

changed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

s

o

–

–

–

even

though

.

I

.

m

a

y

.

never

see . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

r

–

–

–

feel . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

r

–

–

–

breathe . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

that

place

again . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

the

family

picnic

.

b

y

.

the

waterway

.

w

i

l

l

.

never

fade . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

when

I

close

.

m

y

.

eyes,

.

I

.

c

a

n

.

drift

away,

.

a

n

d

.

affectionately

gaze

.

a

t

.

that

pristine

place . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ that

pristine

place,

.

.

a

million

–

–

miles

behind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ a

million

–

–
miles

behind,

.

b

a

c

k

.

when

–

–

time

.

w

a

s

.

kind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ back

when

–

–

time

.

w

a

s

.

kind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

daylight

smiled

.

a

l

l

.

the

while.

Reflection: This was a reflective-themed poem I wrote back in Feb of 2020 where the contemplator looks back on a special, warming, youthful day in the past with those he or she loved, cherished, and appreciated – and wonders whether he will ever experience anything like it again. I played a wonderful song I had heard for the very first time and immediately loved: “Kids” by Current Joy. I played this song in the background at low volume to create the “moodset” for the poem. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it. It wasn’t the lyrics of the song but the sound which inspired me to write the poem. The sound painted a fresh, soothing scene of a sweet, green, serene spring to me. So, I wrote the poem in reflection of that.

☆°▪︎ A PLACE WITHOUT A NAME ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

The

currents

flow

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

I

move

.

w

i

t

h

.

the

undertow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

move

.

w

i

t

h

.

the

undertow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

wonder

where

.

m

y

.

life

might

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

although

.

I

.

know

.

I

.

a

m

.

lost

.

a

n

d

.

alone,

.

.

m

y

.

.

future

travels . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 My

future

travels . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

o

–

–

–

a

place

–

–

without

a

name . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

n

–

–

–

a

train

–

–

without

rails . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

n

–

–

–

a

ship

–

–

without

sails . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

n

–

–

–

a

plane . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ on

.

a

.

plane

.

i

t

.

strays,

.

a

n

d

.

races,

.

a

n

d

.

strays . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

without

.

a

.

way

.

t

o

.

navigate . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

s

o

–

–

–

although

.

I

.

know,

.

.

I

.

a

m

.

lost

.

a

n

d

.

alone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

my

future,

.

i

t

.

travels . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

My

future

travels . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

My

future

travels . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

train,

–

–

after

train,

–

–

after

train . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

wave,

–

–

after

wave,

–

–

after

wave . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

plane,

–

–

after

plane,

–

–

after

plane . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

day,

–

–

after

day,

–

–

after

day,

–

–

after

day . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

whether

wind,

.

o

r

.

flame,

.

o

r

.

shine,

.

o

r

.

rain,

.

o

r

.

snow,

.

o

r

.

hail,

.

o

r

.

earthquake,

.

o

r

.

hurricane . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ my

future,

.

i

t

.

travels,

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

will

.

n

o

t

.

wait . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

My

future

travels . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

My

future

travels . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

My

future

travels . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

o

–

–

–

a

place

–

–

without

a

name.

Reflection: This was a personal struggle-themed poem I wrote back in Jan of 2020 where the affected party exerts little control over his or her life and just goes with the flow to nowhere. Because even if you essentially do nothing – the future will arrive. I played the wonderful song “Harbour” by Moby in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.