Saturday, July 19, 2008

Meditations By A Tired Old Fat Guy Written For A Young Friend

when you are hungry - eat

when you are thirsty - drink

when you are full - stop

when you are tired - rest

when you are bored - do

when you are confused - figure

when you are hurt - heal

when you are sick - recover

when you are troubled - pray

when you are torn - mend

when you are pushed - pull

when you are pulled - push

when you are forced - resist

when you are giving up - dig

when you are hopeful - celebrate

when you are hopeless - recalculate

when you are sorrowful - grieve

when you are successful - give

when you are helped - thank

when you are angry - listen

when you are happy - laugh

when you are sad - cry

when you are scared - hug

when you are pressured - evaluate

when you are tricked - forgive

when you are tricked again - leave

when you have been burned - learn

when you are invited - accept

when you are demanded - reject

when you are controlled - fight

when you decide - act

when you promise - try

when you give your word - deliver

when you play - abandon

when you work - live

when you find friendship - test

when you find trust - risk

when you find yourself - explore

when you find home - sleep

when you find injustice - protest

when you are alone - be

when you are lonely - seek

when you feel ugly - pamper

when you face tomorrow - grit

when you pray - reveal

when you love - believe

when you wake - wonder

when you die - rejoice

13 comments:

lina said...

Dave,
beautiful, powerful words to live by.
This is one I would like to frame to share with others.
thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I love, love, love this!! So much so that I shared it on my blog with many kudos to you!! You again continue to amaze me with your compassion and your ability to use your words here! I too would like to have this printed and framed for my house! Thanks Dave!!

Tamara said...

I was so looking forward to this post -- and, as usual, you didn't disappoint. Love it - Thank you!

All 4 My Gals said...

What great wisdom. Thanks!

Kei said...

Beautiful. I only have one thing to add, one that has gotten me through many times~

When you are stressed - breathe

Unknown said...

Yes, this is wonderful advice!!! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

wow. old tired fat guys know something.

Jodi said...

Wow. That's all I can say. Wow.

Anonymous said...

Love it.
You are so good at reminding us to live life and to take care of ourselves in the process.
Thank you.

Anonymous said...

At last, instructions for living. I've been waiting for this for 52 years! Seriously, your list is very thought provoking and I will have to go back over it and ponder how I might put these ideas into action in my life. Some of them I have not thought about for a while. Thanks for the food for thought.

Elizabeth McClung said...

I think one of the things I find so interesting about you personally is how your point of view comes together, and it creates a sort of consistancy, but one which is very alien to me. But then people are different, and that is a good thing. I think that you made this is a good thing, and tried to pass it on. Mine was smaller, I used to send $10 or $20 or what I could borrow or make by not eating and send it to artists and writers and people who were facing having to move back with their parents and said, "Do something to remind yourself you are a free being, and thus, you deserve to have choice. In this society, that sadly means, money, so here is a choice, go for a meal, see a film do something that is not a necessity."

Probably less profound. But when I play these lists in my head, the word at the end is VERY different (it is like a therapy word association huh - neat).

So for example: 'When you are giving up: dig' is 'When you are giving up: risk everything' - because for me, utter failure, splatacular failure is something that can be survived. Trying, but not knowing if I tried enough, that I can't survive. Just different points of view. so interesting.

theknapper said...

It's so simple but so true & wise. I'm making a copy of it and will pass it around.Thanks for all that you share & the amazing community that meets on this blog!

Lola said...

Dave, I thank God for your words. He knows why.

Bless you and thank you.

L x