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 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 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 not this 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, 1927
I started running again yesterday.
I continued the trend this morning.
Truthfully, neither run was more than a half mile,
nor was the timing close to my personal best,
but to complete the exercise
and run back down the stairs into my apartment,
past my roommate engaged in virtual recreation,
through a kitchen filled with empty snack bags
and stale pasta,
into my own room, feeling my heart race,
and my breaths escape me.
Did I feel awake and stimulated?
After years of existing in smoke filled rooms
and fits of pseudo-euphoric laughter,
I have finally squelched the desire to turn off,
shut down and stretch out.
The adventure is returning to my bloodstream,
and arousing my spasmodic senses.
With so many distractions to keep us comfortable
in our cocoons of unconscious complacency,
it is refreshing to traverse the marketplace
without staring into shop windows
or checking out the beautiful women
plastered tall on exalted billboards.
To let the ephemera rush by you,
and solely soak the air around you,
and the ground underneath your feet.
I continued the trend this morning.
Truthfully, neither run was more than a half mile,
nor was the timing close to my personal best,
but to complete the exercise
and run back down the stairs into my apartment,
past my roommate engaged in virtual recreation,
through a kitchen filled with empty snack bags
and stale pasta,
into my own room, feeling my heart race,
and my breaths escape me.
Did I feel awake and stimulated?
After years of existing in smoke filled rooms
and fits of pseudo-euphoric laughter,
I have finally squelched the desire to turn off,
shut down and stretch out.
The adventure is returning to my bloodstream,
and arousing my spasmodic senses.
With so many distractions to keep us comfortable
in our cocoons of unconscious complacency,
it is refreshing to traverse the marketplace
without staring into shop windows
or checking out the beautiful women
plastered tall on exalted billboards.
To let the ephemera rush by you,
and solely soak the air around you,
and the ground underneath your feet.
-John Porrazzo
