it is enough

“To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing,

to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man's life.”

               T.S. Eliot, The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism

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when the road behind stretches long

and the road ahead is short

one cannot help but wonder

about enough

have I done enough?

loved enough

served enough

said enough

accomplished enough

what makes a life anyway

Jesus tells us that we are to make heaven happen

What does that even mean?

I can think of many ways of grading my life

Money earned

Titles obtained

Degrees awarded

Good behaviors

Bad behaviors (oh oh)

People loved

People who love me back (hmmm)

It’s a trap

This thinking that we can measure our lives

On a scale from 1 to 10

Its really not that difficult

Have you done something useful?

Useful is useful

Almost everyone can be (and is) useful

And the person who stocks the shelves in my local store

Is just as useful as a member of congress (perhaps more so)

Have you said something courageous?

This can be so many things!

It can be “I love you”

It can be “I am hurting”

It can be, “I’m sorry, but I think that is wrong”

Courageous can be confrontation,

But it can also be openness

Finally it means one takes the time

To stop, to breathe, to be in the moment, and to

“contemplate the beautiful thing”

Ah so easy

A mothers love is a beautiful thing

The mountain on a sunny morning

Fresh now

Autum colors

All beautiful

Compassion is beautiful, judgement is not

Love is beautiful, hate is not

We can sort it out

And set our minds on “beautiful things”

Refusing to wallow in

Unprecedential tweets

Refusing to focus on the hate on Facebook

We can go for a walk

Look at the mountain

Listen to the owl

Ah

These simple things are enough for one’s life

I’ve done enough

I’ve done enough

So have you