Spend Your Time Wisely

When all around you is idleness, friction, or complaining,

Spend your time learning and earning and contributing.

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Spend your time wisely.

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When all around you is uncertainty and confusion,

Spend your time increasing your stability and developing your clarity.

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Spend your time wisely.

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When all around you is fear, anger, and divisiveness,

Spend your time in unifying and edifying actions and thoughts.

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Spend your time wisely.

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When all around you is sadness, grief, and pain,

Spend your time in healing thoughts, healing ideas, and healing actions.

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Spend your time wisely.

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When all around you is ignorance, or this or that opinion clamoring for your belief,

Spend your time researching and increasing your knowledge and wisdom.

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Spend your time wisely.

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Worry and panic?

Respond with calm assurance.

Hopelessness and cynicism?

Respond by shining a light.

Injustice?

Respond with speaking up.

Devastation?

Respond by focusing on repair.

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Observe, reflect, learn

Teach, calm, heal

Repair, give hope, bring clarity

Learn, meditate, unify.

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Spend your time wisely.

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Spend your time wisely my friend and fellow earth traveler.

Spend your time wisely.

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Let your legacy be comfort, clarity, peace, understanding

repair, consolation, justice.

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Spend your time wisely.

Your Story Is Lived A Page At a Time

Your story is lived

A page at a time

A page at a time

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One day you are sick

The next day you are fine

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A page at a time

A page at a time

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One day you are happy

The next day you are sad

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A page at a time

A page at a time

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Bad follows good

And good follows bad

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A page at a time 

A page at a time

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At peace one day

The next day you are frantic

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A page at a time

A page at a time

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Life is full of lessons

Not all of them romantic

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A page at a time

A page at a time

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And even your mental state

Keeps shifting around

One day you are on cloud nine

Next day you come crashing down

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A page at a time

A page at a time

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Smart and clever

Stupid and dumb

Interested and alive

Bored and numb

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A page at a time

A page at a time

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Creative, reactive

Clear, confused

Connected, lonely

Upset, amused

Treading water, zooming like a rocket ship

Now one kind of person

Now completely flipped

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Mature as an adult

Petulant as a child

Cheerful and contented one minute

The next unable to smile

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A page at a time

A page at a time

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You go from thinking you are special

To feeling like useless and nothing

It's never static

There's always something

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Always something!

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A page at a time

A page at a time

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Yes, your story (and mine) is lived

A page at a time

A page at a time

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And that's just the way it is

You can't escape that bind

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A page at a time

A page at a time

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And even though it's so weird

It's also so human, so to my mind…

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We each must learn to accept and deal with the fact that

The fact that…

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Our lives are lived

A page at a time

A page at a time

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Through prayer, through meditation, through contemplation, through mindfulness

We have to accept and deal with the fact that

The fact that…

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Our lives are lived

A page at a time

A page at a time

The Man With The Dance Moves

One of David's many paintings - this one painted for Mohammed at the time when Mohammed raised birds

The man with the dance moves

The man with the songs

The man who loved life

And always lived it strong.

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The man who brought color

To everything he touched

Cooking,  painting, music, hospitality

Through happy days and rough.

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The man with the big spirit and heart

Who made the most of his days

The man who made everyone feel special

And often blew minds away.

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You were all that and more, David

And we remember you today

July 12th will always be precious to us

Because it is your birthday.

You Are Free

Photo by AussieActive on Unsplash

You are free.

Use your freedom wisely.

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You are free.

Elevate the journey.

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You are free.

Free to choose what to do with your time, your skills, your talents, and your energy.

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You are free.

Free to shake off the shackles of your past and to discover your unique destiny.

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You are free.

Free to choose your passion, your purpose, and your ministry.

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You are free.

Free to serve the highest good - for yourself, for your family, for your community, for society.

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You are free.

Free to leave a pure, meaningful, and compassionate legacy.

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You are free.

Free to speak the words and show the wisdom that will lead to more world unity.

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You are free. 

Free to conquer fear, pride, vanity, and envy.

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You are free.

Free to find a way to reduce world suffering and misery.

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You are free.

Free to take a failure, challenge, or loss, and make it a personal victory.

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You are free.

Free to find your way out of chaos into serenity.

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You are free.

Free to show gratitude for having received love, forgiveness, and mercy.

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You are free.

Free to increase the confidence and security of those who are facing uncertainty.

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You are free.

Free to use your rights responsibly.

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You are free.

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You are free.

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You are free.

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Happy 4th of July, and here's to more freedom for more people, from sea to shining sea, and all over the world.