Change: A Poem

To LIVE …  is to change.

You are a different person today 

Then you were when you went to sleep last night.

You will be a different person when you go to bed tonight

Then you were when you woke up this morning.

These differences, at the basic level, 

are due to sloughing off cells and growing new ones.

These differences are also based on your experiences

as an individual and with those around you.

These differences are because of what you did today, 

what you saw today, what you heard today, what you said today.

These changes are what make life interesting and vital

and in turn, make your days interesting and vital.

My wish for you … 

make sure that you change 

with the changes you will encounter.

My wish for you … 

see the lessons these changes teach you 

and the growth you encounter because of these changes.

My wish for you … 

make sure that you continue to grow and change,

and experience and become.

And my wish for you 

… spend everyday and enjoy everyday

like tomorrow may never arrive!

Different or Same?

Each person perceives their world,
Through their senses and thoughts.
Based on their circumstances.
Based on what they are told.
Based on what they have learned.
Based on what they accept as truth.

Therefore each one of us is different from each other.

Each thing we see, we see differently.
Each thing we hear, we hear differently.
Each thing we smell, we smell differently.
Each thing we taste, we taste differently.
Each thing we feel, we feel differently.
Each thing we think, we think differently.

Therefore each one of us is different from each other.

Each thing we love,
Each thing we hate,
Each thing we enjoy,
Each thing we fear,
Each thing we experience,
Each thing we accept,

Each thing we love, hate, enjoy, fear, experience, accept,
We love, hate, enjoy, fear, experience, accept differently.
If this is true, how can we say we are the same?
No wonder we say all Christians, Jews, Muslims, blacks, whites,
Are bad, or wrong, or vengeful, or dangerous?
No wonder one misunderstands and fears and hates all others?

Thinking each one of us is different from each other.

What I believe we can all say,
Is that although we are all different,
We all want the same thing.
We all want to be happy, to be warm, to love and to be loved.
We all want to NOT be angry, hungry, in pain, in danger,
We all want the same thing but we are all different

Therefore we are all different and we are all the same as well!

So what must we do to get along, to not war, to not kill,
To not provoke, to not disrespect, to not take advantage,
To not be greedy, to not be selfish, to not be unthinking,
To not prevent others from being happy, warm, loved?
To not prevent others from avoiding anger, hunger, pain, danger?
We must respect the differences realizing we are all basically the same

IN DIFFERENT WAYS!