desiderata

if there is one thing i can accomplish in life is to see and think of the world in a childish way again.

i would like to be something like lizzie's mom, or anyone else i feel is truly happy and can be nice to everyone. my mom is unhappy but i would also like to be something like her. she has made it through everything with the glass half empty perspective but i think she can still feel love and emotion and want to see me and everyone else happy. she lets me do what I want truly even if she tells me she doesnt want me to do something in the end she lets me make a choice. i want to be something like all of my friends they all have something so unique about them it amazes me every time i think about them. I love them all so much and I feel guilty because even though they love me i still feel so lonely all of the time. i used to be able to be just with myself, in fact i was really good at it. there is no peace within myself, yet i think i am farther than i have ever been from giving up. that is the only rule i would change in the laws of existence to be utimately alone. i can deal with dying, freedom, and meaninglessness.

-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --
Not "Found in Old St. Paul's Church"! -- see below

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.