In Hopes Of Being A Better Man

I live in a world

For which I don’t feel I was prepared,

If I think too much about it in fact,

I feel I’m often scared.

The future seems uncertain,

Not what I envisioned at all,

Would I go back if I could?

Would I change it all?

Well, the short answer to that question,

I’m sure you already know,

I wouldn’t go back if I could,

So the answer is definitely “no”. 

That being said,

I don’t like what I see,

There’s only one solution though,

And that begins with me.

At the risk of being an ostrich,

With the proverbial head stuck in the sand,

A good knowledge of current events is useful,

But perhaps they should just be scanned.

I have enough in my life,

To fill for me each day,

I don’t really need distractions,

To pull my attention well away.

I could best apply myself,

To tending my own concerns,

With perhaps a balance,

Of the news I find I’ve learned.

When seeing friends and neighbors,

May I always be polite,

And those in my life whom I love,

May I be sure to hug them tight.

And let them know what they mean to me,

If tomorrow I’m not here,

Let me appreciate,

All the things that I hold dear.

Let me learn to take pleasure,

In the small delights in life,

Let me be not hasty,

To go in search of strife.

May I do my best to be free of worry,

And be prepared as best I can,

For anything that comes my way,

Or what in my way may land.

May I learn to know contentment,

In who I know I am,

May I not give in to gossip,

Or believe someone else’s sham.

May I greet each morning,

With wonder and delight,

May I sleep in peaceful dreams,

When I lie down at night.

For I mostly believe,

To be of service to anyone else,

First I must learn,

To be of honest service to myself.