Whatever May Come Whatever May Go

Sara Teasdale writes about her encounter with a wise old man, whose simple creed enabled him to keep the joy in his eyes through the ravages of the years.

I saw him sitting at his door,
Trembling as old men do;
His house was old; his barn was old,
And yet his eyes seemed new.
His eyes had seen three times my years
And kept a twinkle still,
Though they had looked at birth and death
And three graves on a hill.
'I will sit down with you,' I said,
'And you will make me wise;
Tell me how you have kept the joy
Still burning in your eyes.'
Then like an old-time orator
Impressively he rose;
'I make the most of all that comes,
The least of all that goes.'
The jingling rhythm of his words
Echoes as old songs do,
Yet this had kept his eyes alight
Till he was ninety-two "

partially obtained from : A Slice of Life - Produced and presented by Eugene Loh
Host of AM NewsTalk with Michelle Martin, weekdays 6am to 10am
on NewsRadio 93.8FM

Bflygal's comment : Hmm I don't really want to live to 92, but there are times I wish I can just let go if it ought to be let go...A glass of water theory? Indeed holding a glass of water too long will tend to become a chore too...