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"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" - Eleanor Roosevelt


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Stay By My Side
Stay by my side,
as my light grows dim,
as my blood slows down,
as my nerves shatter with stabbing pain,
as my heart grows weak,
and the wheels of my being turn slowly.
Stay by my side,
as my fragile body is racked by pain
which verges on truth
and manic time continues scattering dust
and furious life bursts out in flames.
Stay by my side as I fade,
so you can point to the end of my struggle
and the twilight of eternal days at the low
dark edge of life.


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The Station

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision.
We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent.
We are traveling by train.
Out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways,
of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazzing on a distant hillside,
of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat,
of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hills,
of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination.
On a certain day, at a certain hour we will pull into the station.
Bands will be playing and flags will be waving.
Once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true
and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle
How restlessly we pace the aisles,
damning the minutes for loitering - waiting,
waiting for the station.

When we reach the station, that will be it !!
We cry, "when I'm 18..." "When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz...
"When I put the last kid through college..." "When I have paid off the mortgage.."
"When I get a promotion..." "When I reach retirement I shall live happily ever after !!

Sooner or later we must realize there is no station,
no one place to arrive at once and for all.
The true joy of life is the trip.
The station is only a dream.
It constantly outdistances us.

It isn't the burdens of today that drive people mad.
It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow.
Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So, stop pacing the ailes and counting the miles.
Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice-cream,
go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets,
laugh more, cry less, life must be lived as we go along.
The station will come soon enough.


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Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.