The footprints you leave in the sand may well be washed away, but you will still have made them.
| Footprints in the Sand The two Game Masters took their students down to the beach called Life. The waves of the Great Ocean roared in their ears. They gathered their students in a circle and spoke in unison. “You have been with us for many years to learn the game of Life. Most of you have done quite well. But you are not finished. Today is the not the end, the culmination, but the beginning. Now you must take what you have learned to set off on your own. Along the way, you will have to make decisions that will affect the rest of your journey. Choose wisely, using what you have learned. Listen to your inner self as well. You will leave footprints in the sands of Life. What footprints you leave is your choice.” One student dared to speak. "Oh, Great Masters, which footprints are the best? Which should we choose?" “No one footprint is better than the other,” replied the Masters. “It is your choice. But you must live with your decision, so choose your steps wisely. Think before you act, consider carefully what footprints you wish to leave, for you must live with them forever after.” The students hesitated, unwilling to leave their first footprint in the sand. Then a tall strapping lad stepped out boldly. “Good-by,” he said, his head held high. He strode off, leaving deep marks in the sand. Soon he was out of sight. Next, a rather ordinary looking boy stepped out, right into the footprints left by the other boy. He followed those footprints, although he had to lengthen his stride to do so. A serious looking girl stepped out. She walked lightly down to the ocean. There she turned and walked alongside the water in the wet sand. Soon her footsteps were covered by the waves. A slight lad with dark hair and dark eyes took a tentative first step. Then another and another, until he was walking down the beach as well. His footsteps were careful, measured and light. A jovial boy with an infectious grin, shot the Masters a mischievous look, as he jumped with two feet onto the sand. He hopped on one foot for three steps then on the other foot. Soon he was hopping, skipping and jumping down the beach, leaving a crazy quilt of footsteps. The Masters and the remaining students laughed as they watched. But the students then grew sober once more as they contemplated their own moves. A cheery looking girl now began to dance across the sand, leaving a beautiful pattern behind her. The remaining boy took one step then sat down. “I will just stay right here,” he stated, looking at the Masters defiantly. They shrugged and smiled. One young person was left, a child on the cusp of adulthood, neither boy nor girl, just a human. Who preferred the pronoun “ze.” Ze looked the Masters straight in the eyes, chin held high. “I will not leave footprints for I love the untrodden sand. But I will take the journey wherever it leads me. And I will leave a mark somewhere, somehow, some day.” The Masters watched the youth intently. Ze tiptoed down to the water, trying to leave no marks on the sand. Then ze dove into the water and began to swim in the ocean alongside the beach. The Masters watched their students, as each followed their individual path. They looked at each other and smiled, then turned to go back home. For their own journey was now at an end. MW When you start the path of life, What footprints will you choose? Will you follow your own path Or step in others’ shoes? Chorus: Whatever you choose to do, Do it your own way. To thine own self be true, No matter what they say. Will you bold and strong step out Or tread a well worn way? What will your life be about, Small path or highway? Will you with light footsteps tread. Leave no print on the land? Or will you with heavy tread Sink deep in the sand? Will you have a goal in mind, Walk quickly on the road? When you new treasures find, Gladly take the load? Will you with another soul Walk with hand in hand, Making each other's heart whole, As you walk life's strand? Will you wander here and there, Delight in the view? Every day a new somewhere, Trying something new? Will you maybe dance with joy, Leaping in the air? Play with life as with a toy, Happy to be there? Or will you just contemplate, Sitting on the beach? No worry ‘bout being too late, No goal for you to reach? Chorus: Whatever you choose to do, Do it your own way. To thine own self be true, No matter what they say. -MW 1/19 | A Pity By far too many just exist, They are, but not what they could be. They eat and sleep and have a job, They know too little and rarely think, They come and go and leave no trace But progeny of the same ilk. What a loss and what a pity! The Self We are What we do and what we do not do, What we say and do not say, What we think and do not think, What we feel and do not feel, What we want and do not want, What we imagine and do not imagine, Plus the physical selves we are. We Humans Most work to live, A need. Some live to work, A Passion. Few just exist. A pity. Due Process Wise it is to think, Wise it is to do, And 'tis ever wiser To interplay the two. We are what we... Many are clearly what they do, Some are obviously what they wear, Others are tellingly what they eat. Some are distinctly what they know, Others are no less what they feel, Still others are what they think and say. And then there are the nondescripts, The man bland and shadowless, Who simply are the nothing they are. We betray ourselves to an alarming degree, Wittingly and otherwise, But then, who perceives or cares? -JM Thoughts for the Month by JM To do less is often to achieve more. We are what we choose to be. Choice is privilege and responsibility. It is the different who make a difference. Some can and do, others can and won't and then there are those who simply can't. |
Except when you're sleeping in your cave.
