Live and Let Live
I regard myself as a very lucky person. I have had low points in my life along with dizzying heights of happiness only to descend back down again. I am fortunate because I have experienced both. I have been sad and happy, hungry and full, poor and not so poor, loved and unloved, young and old.
Our life, to others, is never what it seems, and it is so easy for us to judge each other. When we are without, we envy those that appear to have it all. When we are hungry we resent those who we perceive as squandering money. It is always an “us versus them” mentality because it is easy to criticize and play victim. We never really know what is truly going on in someone else’s life. Even though they might appear to have everything, they could well be suffering immense pain from health issues, or perhaps going through a divorce or even losing a family member. Such resentment on our part is unhealthy and cultivating negative thoughts can hurt us in the long run. What perhaps would be an easier thing to do is to turn the negativity into something positive. When we are not struggling financially, wouldn’t that the best time to help those less fortunate? When our stomachs are full shouldn’t we donate to the Food Bank? I see life as an ongoing opportunity to experience everything that is thrown our way. To appreciate the highs and lows, the good and the bad, and to never forget where we have come from. Always remember that at some point in our lives someone has helped us up and the right thing to do is always pay it forward. It can be hard work to get there but ultimately it is worth it. Live and let live is an expression I use a lot and it inspired me to write this poem.
Live and Let Live
I look to the horizon
Where the sea meets the sky
My life peculiarly in balance
I break down and cry
Can this really be happening
To the likes of me
No one ever gave me anything
Without the third degree
For so many years
Just hitting the wall
Disappointment and failure
Avoiding the curve ball
What life always threw at me?
Ready or not
I never understood the meaning
Of this terrible plot
To knock me down
More times than I cared
Only for me to get up
As this game was not yet declared
Then you came along
And evened the playing field
So I had a chance this time
With no need to carry the shield
You made it safe so that I
Could be the best I could be
I am scared no more
And at last I feel free
I have been kicked around by life
Battered and bruised
I can see the light
And I am no longer confused
Now I am on the side
Of what I perceive is right
I will champion those less fortunate
As I understand their plight
Life is better for me
As you opened my eyes
To the beauty in the world
That is no longer in disguise
Christine Bolton
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