1. My family. We may disagree but when the going gets tough I know they are there for me no matter what. The stories I could tell, but might be given the silent treatment for some of them. From my mother calling my father at work to blame him for events he could not control ie the cows on the highway to my middle brother and the stories he tells, he should have been a comedian or a politician. My extended family for the laughs we have had over poop..still wish they were about sex:)
2. Cartwheels and skipping. No matter how old I get, doing a cartwheel makes me feel like I am six years old again. This can also be felt with somersaults, skipping along or making bubbles in your milk.
3. Laying on my back and feeling the warmth of the sun. Lots of people complain about the heat but I am a sun worshipper all the way.
4. Laughter. I love the fits of laughing so hard that you try to stop only to start up again. Laughing until it hurts is the best.
5. Accomplishments. I may not have climbed Mount Everest, become the CEO of a company or found a cure for a disease, but I have been a good friend, wife, daughter, sister and fur baby momma for which I am proud. Being true to yourself is, in my opinion, your biggest accomplishment.
The Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and 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 ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations 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's 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.
Max Ehrmann was an attorney turned philosopher-poet who live in Terre Haute, Ind. He spent his life wrestling with the realities of making a living and following his personal calling to a life of poetry, literature, and thought. He wrote A Prayer, which became a message of hope for thousands, but he is best known for Desiderata, which he wrote for himself, "because it counsels those virtues I felt myself most in need of." Max included this work as part of a personal Christmas greeting in 1933, and Desiderata's power and appeal have continued to reach out to and significantly affect readers ever since. He died in 1945.
