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"Poetry saved my life. I know you think
I mean this in some lofty, methaphorical way, but I
don't. I mean it literally. My life was speeding down
a highway, where I could see the roses, but couldn’t
slow down long enough to smell them," says Steve Jaffe
author of The Mind Diet Journaling Series, books designed
to help readers deal with the daily pressures of life
by writing rhythm poems.
"Back in 1996, I went through the toughest
times of my life. I began to deal with my overwhelming
problems by writing rhythm poetry, instead of the traditional
journaling I had used for many years. I went from just
writing my anger and problems down, to a more constructive
way of communicating with myself. It was not poetry
in the traditional sense, but more of a dancing of words,
which released my fears, frustrations, and anger that
I discovered were destroying my life. The positive result
was that I was finally being truly honest with myself
about the stress that was affecting my health through
my rhythm poetry.
"This outlet I used freed myself for that
moment of the problem. I found it to be a form of delegating,
except I wasn’t passing the problem to someone else,
just to a piece of paper. The final result was an emptying
of the tons of negative thoughts, giving me the ability
to see the world around me through different eyes: a
true Mind Diet. I recognize that my life was forever
changing and so were my outlooks at any given point
in time. I want to share with all my readers the wonderful
experience I continue to have journaling with rhythm
poems. In my books, a part of me is shared that I hope
will trigger a release for you to be able to celebrate
the good in the world, find happiness and be able to
enjoy all the pleasures that are right before your eyes."
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