The Uplifting Empire: Chris Rathje

What does it mean to fly?

Is it freedom or is it fear?
Is it scary or is it sound?

Does it count if you are the only one who knows you are flying?

What is poetry?

Who defines the parameters?

The critics?
The artist?
Someone in between the two?

We will have to wait and see:
Which poems will soar through the air?
Which poems will stay grounded forever?

Stay thoughtful
Stay peaceful
Enjoy

Find the songs that bring you the most joy and take flight

When your feet move upward toward the sky just say a little prayer and the rest will take care of itself.

Love Life
Think Hard
Laugh Harder

Anything is Possible!
Chris

Thanks to Selina for the inspiration for this poem!

Patience
Persistence
Inspiration
Prayer

These are four horsemen to a great life.
We’re so blessed, but sometimes life is so hard.

Just take the time to love one another.
Guilt and shame hold us back.

Give guilt and shame a big middle finger and tell them Chris Rathje sent you.

I used to always struggle with the phrase,  my best.

I would ask what does that mean?

If I’m honest with myself;  it’s easy to figure out.

Ask Questions;  Get Answers

The process is not always easy, but it’s worth it.

Search for things you love.
Not all who wander are lost

We all start out as stones, but only those who embrace the challenging sand become pearls.

Embrace the grit. Choose to be an elegant orb on our infinite strand.

Odd inflection at the end of a line makes us our best.

AIP (check glossary if you need more clarity)

Chris

Here is a list of words and phrases I want to squash accompanied with alternatives.

Hopeless Romantic
Hopeful Romantic

Nice Guys Always Finish Last
Nice Guys Sometimes Finish Last

Gym Tan Laundry
Always Be Learning

Love, Laugh, Learn!

Believe in Dreams!
Chris

Energy can be the flow
Energy can also be the stifle, the block, the confusion

Wait!

Who chooses the energy?
We do!
How?
With what we think
With what we do
Choose with care
Choose with purpose

Thoughtful is a beautiful word
A word full of freedom

We are free to think whatever we want!
Use that power with joy
Use that power with responsibility

KNOW ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

Do you have that energy?
Do you want that energy?

It’s up to you!

Grab it now and hold it as long as possible

No energy is constant, but they go around in circles. The energy will come back when everything is aligned.

Believe in the circles of life and let the energy you desire flow into you.

Love everything
Love everyone

Thanks for reading
Chris

We must look within to find what we need, what we want, and how we will form our lives.

We must venture outside to truly grow.  Please let love be your guide!

Fear is a liar

Fear is a cheat

Fear robs so many of so much

To live a fearless life is not the goal.

Look fear in the eye and overcome!

LOVE

LAUGH

LEARN

That is the truest victory I know.

Thanks for reading

Chris

Who gets to decide when the moon is beautiful?

Is the moon beautiful when it is full?

Is the moon beautiful when the sky is clear?

Is the moon beautiful when we can’t see it?

Who decides?

We all do!

We all have our truths.

We all have our perspectives.

Let our hearts sing even if the melodies are full of pain and sorrow.  Our hearts cannot heal until our emotional aches and pains are addressed

Ask Questions

Seek Answers

Allow Time to Heal

Feel What You Need to Feel

and

Be Who You Want to Be

Anything is Possible!

Thanks for reading

Chris

(This piece is dedicated to the creative team behind Lady Antebellum’s American Honey.  I listened to the song on a loop while I was writing this and the song is the original inspiration for the piece.)

Sometimes fear protects us from danger

Sometimes fear is a tool to align the proper path

But most of the time fear is bullshit

Listen Deep Inside!

We must realize our actions have consequences, but we do not need to be frightful in our pursuits.

LOVE LIFE!

Share the things that scare you. Bring them to the light! If we can see them; there is no reason to fear them anymore.

Anything is Possible

Cry if you need to cry, fall if you need to fall, but when the tears are dried and the dirt is dusted off: Keep Moving Forward!

FEEL EMOTIONS

Experience Life!

Don’t be afraid to be clumsy
Don’t be afraid to be silly

Remember the good times
Capture how they make you feel

Don’t hold on to a moment in time
Look back and replicate the feeling over and over again

Lead the exact life you want!

We all live life according to our own rules whether we realize it or not.

SO WAKE UP and fill out your own rulebook.

Nothing holds us back!

Greatness might require patience, but KNOW dreams are not just weak wishes and wandered hopes.

Dreams are INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE GREATEST SOURCE!

Dreams Are Directions! Believe!

Thanks for reading

Chris

The struggle is interesting

It gives us character

It gives us color

People don’t hold us back

Circumstances don’t hold us back

fear holds us back

acceptance of fear

acceptance of lack

acceptance of limits

A smile can emanate no matter what surrounds us

The sun is always shining no matter how many clouds there appears to be in the sky

Believe in light

Light is the truth

We can see more flaws in light but you can also see more beauty

Beauty doesn’t lay in the perfect

Beauty lies in the journey of men

We love the rush of focused passion but no matter how hard we try we can’t always stay there

We must learn

We must heal

we all have wounds from the past that must be dealt with

voices of discouragement

voices of fear that lack

Rejoice because that voice might make us human, but it is never the whole truth!

Look into the light!

Listen for the hope!

That is the truth!

Thanks for reading

Chris

What do I have to say?

It is clear as day, but the words don’t always want to come out and play.

Don’t fear words, always use them to your advantage. Be clear, be precise, be honest, win!

Life is beautiful, life is simple, but not always straightforward.

I cry when others give up
I rejoice when others keep truckin’

Everything starts as thought. PLEASE BELIEVE!

Decide dreams are the truth, dreams are instructions from the greatest source.

Limitations are lies! We are given everything we need to accomplish what are hearts desire. Please decide to take a wide view of life. Our physical bodies cannot limit us. Other’s thoughts can only limit us if we allow them to.

Believe
Focus
Achieve

Anything is Possible! Decide to write your beautiful journey and then turn it into action.

Keep experimenting until you find your center of calm; center of joy. With that discovery we are on our way to: KNOW ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

With that discovery, now evidence; the words can come out and play. As they dance, I am thankful for the question. Because a statement followed by that odd mark is the first step for any answer, any solution.

What do I have to say? DREAMS ARE THE TRUTH!

Thanks for reading
Chris