Values and Virtues to Live by...

I do my best ...

Love: I’ve come to see Love as a force of Nature. It’s bigger than I am and I can’t control it any more than I can control the weather. It’s either there, or it isn’t, but when it is, it strikes like lightning: unpredictable, wild, and purely amazing.

Health: At 75, I’m continually in limbo, somewhere between, “I feel great!” and “Where’s the Tylenol? My arthritis is killing me.” So far, the “I feel great!” days outnumber the others and I count them as blessings.

Respect: I do my best to value people for who they are and ask for the same consideration in return. 

Compassion: No matter how bad things get, I remind myself there are others far worse off. Because I’m human, I also remind myself to throw out my high horse, my soap box and to always be caring...

Comfort: After spending most of my years with floors clean enough to eat off of, I’ve reached a point in life where I feel my home should be clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be comfortable.

Patience: When I have to wait in difficult situations, I try not to react with disrespect or anger. I’m getting much better …

Fun: I try not to let a day go by without having fun. Life can be dull without it — at least that’s what my inner child says. She dared me once to run barefoot through a public fountain —damn, that was fun.

Acceptance: I try my best to recognize and allow an end to a situation and not try to change or fight it. (“The Serenity Prayer”).

Happiness: I believe we’re as happy as we allow ourselves to be. There’s sunshine up there, even when clouds hide it —-it’s the same with life. Even on a bad day, I can find something to smile about.

Success:  Life is full of successes, if I look to find them. Even the small ones make me feel good.

→ The seeds I planted are sprouting!
→ The meatloaf I made tasted perfect.
→ I sold some books today.
→ I made a friend feel good ...

Learning: It’s important to learn something new every day —Substack gives me that. Every day, I learn something new, read something touching, or something funny. Sometimes, it’s a post too weird, or complex to understand at the time, so I’ll think about it and learn later.

Listen: I try my best to give full attention to someone who’s speaking.

Peace: I spent thirty-five years of my life in two unhealthy marriages. Now that those are in my past, I live a peaceful life and I’m thankful Robert is sharing it with me.

Forgive: I’m learning to let go of resentment and anger towards me or others for what may have hurt or offended me. This is so I can heal.

Intimacy: I’ve learned I can’t have love in my life without intimacy. It's the glue that holds love together.

Adventure: My inner child loves adventure and I have to admit, so do I. That’s where the fun hides, in the adventures.

Honesty: I consider this to be my most important value, so like a decadent dessert, I’ve saved it for last …

“To thine own self be true.”

Poet/Writer/Author of 5 books.
Quora Top Writer 2018.
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