To Live By

It was a New Year's Eve many years ago. I thought about what I'd like to do, not just during the coming year, but with the rest of my life.

I thought about how most resolutions are doomed to be broken, so I wanted to “simplify” mine. Make them into “a way of life”, so to speak.

I had too often attempted a “bucket list” type of resolutions. Things to be checked off. But not things I had continuously strived to live by.

So I wrote down the following . . . and have strived to live by each of them every day, ever since. Each and all can be done by virtually anyone . . . and nary a one costs as much as a dime.

Live simply.

Give hope and warmth as you go.

Treat every soul as your own.

Live humbly.

Laugh a lot.

Write and visit often.

Treat both poor and rich the same - both need love.

Fight ignorance not with darkness, but with light.

Marvel at the stars.

Play with children.

Hold grudges against no one.

Think deeply.

Walk daily in the fields and woods.

Stay learned and well-read.

Above all, be compassionate and forgiving.