Well I never,
this post made Hilary's POTW!
Remember,
first of all,
you are no better and no worse than anyone.
You are human,
not super-human,
not less than human,
Just human.
As good as anyone else.
Once considered tall,
at the head of every line-up in school,
you've shrunk a little,
the people coming after you having grown taller
than those who lived before you.
Capable hands,
a straight back,
eyes that have grown a little dim with time
but still able to see clearly in the ways that matter.
Sorrow and joy,
laughter and tears,
the good days and bad,
accept them all.
Indifference is death.
Be kind to yourself,
or you will not be kind to others;
Forgive yourself,
only then will you forgive others.
Make empathy, patience and goodwill
become your golden rule.
Your life is yours,
and yours alone.
So live it well,
discard the fleeting fashions of the world.
Accept wise counsel but
ignore the siren voices of the fools who
call to you to follow them.
The world is yours,
take care of it.
The moon, the stars, the sun to light your night and day,
all yours, to share with every living creature.
The whole world is your garden,
so treat it gently.
You have lived more than half your life by now,
you've grown a little wiser
than the foolish girl you knew when you were young.
you've learned to place your trust
with careful circumspection;
you speak in truth to others
and always to yourself.
Delusion is best served in tiny measures,
but never to yourself.
With every breath you take,
remember that your time on earth is limited,
be mindful and courageous,
and face each day as it unfolds
in all its myriad diversity
with equanimity.
But above all,
be human.
I like how began with human and returned to human
ReplyDeleteI shall take your wise counsel...there is much wisdom here
It's essential to forgive and love ourselves. These are wonderful words to live by and wise counsel to yourself and, in sharing it, to us. I think I need to reread this now.
ReplyDeleteTears.
ReplyDeleteYou often show your wisdom - so nice to feel your tenderness too.
ReplyDeleteWords we can all take to heart.
Your poem is beautiful. Thank You. Dianne
ReplyDeleteThank you, Friko. I need this. Delusion, not to be served to myself - good advice, indeed.
ReplyDeleteI was never tall, so am beginning to feel quite insignificant, and as the small indignities and inconveniences of age begin to manifest themselves it all adds up to a less than good mood. I wonder how many readers will, like I, print this off and place it by the computer?
I like your poem very much!!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
This is such a great and reassuring poem Friko!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of poems but I read this from first word to last. They were all necessary and meaningful to me.
ReplyDelete"Be mindful and courageous" are exactly the resolutions I need, and not just for this year. Thanks Friko.
In case I haven't wandered by in the past week, A Very Good New Year to you and Benno x
Wonderful thoughts! I want to share them with all my friends. Jim
ReplyDelete'This, above all, to thine own self be true.'
ReplyDeleteWise words, Friko.
As spoken to yourself, yet equally applicable to me. You reveal a solid understanding of human frailty and strength, always spotlighted with humour and wit.
ReplyDeleteGood things to reads and reread, and act upon at the start of a new year! Hope it's a good one for you Friko!
ReplyDeleteFriko - that is beautiful ......
ReplyDelete'Go placidly amid the noise and the haste .... it is still a beautiful world. Strive to be happy..'
Very nice text, makes you think a lot. Certainly the first part. Don't overestimate yourself or think very low of your skills. Heavy article to start the year.
ReplyDeleteGreetings,
Filip
Very enjoyable and rings true :-).
ReplyDeleteabove all be human...some great mantras in here friko and something surely to read yourself often...
ReplyDelete"able to see clearly in the ways that matter" - a gift of growing older. This is a wonderful tribute to life - human life. Thank you, Friko.
ReplyDeletesuch wise words - I need to listen to them.
ReplyDeleteNow, that is absolutely the best New Year's resolution I could possibly think of. Thanks for setting us off on such a sensible course for the coming year!
ReplyDeleteHis should be published. Yes, it should.
ReplyDeleteunendlich schöne und weise Worte!
ReplyDeleteSo hilfreich um den Alltag zu meistern, das ganze neue Jahr hindurch.
Danke, dass du mir dies wieder ins Bewusst gerufen hast.
Beautiful wise words. :)
ReplyDeleteI had to read this aloud twice--once to experience, twice to process. And a third time just to myself, for the poetry of it all. Thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteherausragend !
ReplyDeleteYour words are words that resonate deeply with me today. I needed you wisdom and advice. I think I will print this out to refer it often.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful TRUE piece of writing. Love it, thank you for giving this to me!
ReplyDeleteDi
X
Very wise and well spoken words. Thank you. You are very talented.
ReplyDeleteYou were speaking for yourself, but you could also be speaking about what each of us should do with our limited time on this earth. Above all, be kind to yourself, for that is indeed the prerequisite to being kind to others. Happy New Year, Friko. May all of us be able to live our days in accordance with our higher ideals.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Friko, for this marvelous New Year's gift. There are such treats and such wisdom in these words. I'll take my lead from Pondside, and will be sure to return to re-read these lines over and over in 2012, to remind myself of what it is to begin a new year full of anticipation and wonder.
ReplyDeletexo
I like that very, very much. :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful poem and wonderful words for living.
ReplyDeleteIt always amazes me how when something is put together so well-it seems so easy. But that is hardly the case at all.
Excellent post.
I want to print this out and tape it to the wall as a reminder. Thank you for your wisdom, Friko, and your gift of words.
ReplyDeleteAll best to you in this new year!
This
ReplyDeleteis the apologia
we all wish
that we could
create
as well as
you
have
here.
This is a daily prayer sufficient
to remind me of all that is
important.
Tears. Recognition. Gratitude.
Love for my friend
Friko.
All honor
and great luck
to know
You.
Amen
hier spricht eine sehr grosse Lebenserfahrung und Menschlichkeit, und ich denke mir: wie schön, Dich kennengelernt zu haben!
ReplyDeleteDir liebe Grüsse und bis bald!
Renée
Such beautiful words of wisdom!
ReplyDeleteYou've started 2012 in full philosophical mode, Friko. Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written words, that resonate with the truth within.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Wonderful words of advice!
ReplyDeleteHappy 2012
Hugs
SueAnn
Du hast es wirklich verstanden.
ReplyDeleteGreat poem and wisdom in it. Send it to the school board!! It should be taught at school and even learned by heart.
I sit here not quite knowing what to say, stupidly. It comes from always arriving late to the party and finding that everyone else had said what I might have wanted to.
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed a piece of wisdom, and echoes what I've been thinking of late, as I begin to realize that I am changing as I get older. And, more significantly, that the reactions of others change as you age. I never thought this would happen to me, somehow. Anyway, it's a bit of a grey day and my mood matches it. I'll go back and read again and try to breathe in what you've said. You're quite wonderful, really.
I am going to have this whole thing tattooed on my left arm so I can read it several times every day.
ReplyDeleteSuch simple wisdom. So why is it so hard sometimes?
ReplyDeleteWise words and thoughts to take into the New Year. I've been enjoying reading about your Christmas which sounds rather ideal to me. And the snowdrops are lovely!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Friko. A poem for everyone. I read this once quietly, then once aloud, for I do poetry it's best aloud. Like others, I have printed this out and put it with my book of quotes and poems and life's lessons. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIf only I had at least grown a little wiser ....
ReplyDeleteSuch wise words written in a beautiful way! Food for thought! Thankyou
ReplyDeleteThank you Friko for these thoughts - I have saved them and will refer to them often in the coming months.
ReplyDeleteDear Friko Highly sage advice and so much needed at this time! May I share?
ReplyDeleteOften we think: However we are completed, we are still lacking.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful reminder that that is not so. ~Mary
Wow. May I share this? It's incredibly succinct and beautifully written. Thanks for reminding me.
ReplyDeleteIn the midst of so much wisdom, this: Your life is yours, and yours alone.
ReplyDeleteThat has been a hard truth for me to claim, but to the degree that I have claimed it, I've been well-served. So many times I said to my mother in her latter years, as kindly as possible, "You are free to live your life as you choose, and I will live mine."
Beyond that, I spent an entire three months walking to the beat of the same lesson, offered up by Bon Jovi. The situation isn't important, but the words were: "It's my life - it's now or never".
We should hear such words each day, and you've offered them here in a kind, thoughtful and straightforward way. Such a gift!
Beautifully done, Friko. It has an air of Desiderata to it with its rhythm and sage advice. Happy New Year, wise one.
ReplyDeleteNice to get on queue a bit late,
ReplyDeleteto give you an atta-girl for this
pep talk piece, for as the pendulum
sings into rainbows, we all seem
to take deeper breaths, and reach
out to hope, dripping with love,
self or otherwise.
Oh yes, thank you, Friko.
ReplyDeleteLove this deeply reflective poem; it seems universal to me, like it could have been written by me . . . if that makes any sense. You captured so much of what it feels like to be aging, gracefully most of the time, and remembering the foolishness of youth.
ReplyDeleteI liked many portions, but especially,
"With every breath you take,
remember that your time on earth is limited,
be mindful and courageous . . .
be kind and forgiving, above all, be human"
Oh Friko, wise and wonderful words to savor.
Thank you.
Guess I missed this post...but thanks to Hilary I have come back to read it. You are a kind old soul and congrats on your POTW.
ReplyDeletewonderful words. congrats on your POTW!
ReplyDeleteGood reflection and direction) for the New Year, Friko. I especially love this line: "Delusion is best served in tiny measures,
ReplyDeletebut never to yourself."
Congrats on your POTW!
this is so full of grace and kindness
ReplyDeletecongrats on POTW