the gift of yourself

suffering is always the wrapping paper 

on the gift of yourself within.

suffering is primarily anecdotal

but profoundly evident.

we, as a species, 

always suffer originally in silence

but we loud voice our conclusions

about it.

the gift, once opened,

is generally hard to appreciate.

it is so much more 

than what we asked for.

it is usually a riddle or a puzzle,

way before it is appreciated 

for its origin of worth.

no one gets to be the prize

without further appraisal.

unwrapping can take a large measure 

of patience and time.

and how to use what is offered as the gift

can be puzzling and sometimes stressful. 

but no one else can come to value that gift

more than oneself in the end.

suffering can come in many and varied

colors, textures and means.

opening the gift of suffering

requires a talent

to be in the moment,

appreciate the means offered,

enjoy the process deeply

and move on,

ventured in the appearance 

of the ever-changing results. 

the unexpected tends to gift us in this way.

many times this is a gift we give to ourselves

unknowingly, but eventually worth it.

in an evolutionary sort of way,

some of us don't like gifts or surprises

but for the way things are,

expectation as a means,

does not run that ongoing show . . .