The Many Lives We Live

By  Tom Rodriguez

We live many lives and
We are different people 
In all of the lives we live
Our lives as children
Our lives as adolescents
Our lives as teenagers
Our lives with lovers and friends
Our lives as husbands and wives
Our lives raising children
And our lives after children

Growing old is one of the lives we live
But growing old is a gift 
That not everyone receives
So learn to value the simple things in life
In time they will be your most valuable posessions
Decide how you want to spend 
The time you have left
Decide where you want to go
What you want to do
And who you want to do it with

Remember your past
Record it if you can
Find your way
Writing, painting or poems
Whatever works for you
Learn to cope with the loss 
Of family, lovers, and friends
Who fell along the way
Savor your past 
And accept the passing of time 
Remain young in mind and heart
And you will stay young
No matter what your failing
Aging body tells you
Never lose hope in the face of your mortality

So proceed on your journey
And remember that every day you live
Is a precious gift
A day that you will never
See or live again
We live many lives
And you are not done living
Remember that sunsets are
Beautiful but short lived
So forget the roads not taken
And learn to love the road you’re on