Success

From the essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Success"

"To laugh often and love much, to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children;
to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived---this is to have succeeded."


(Dedicated to my friend Linda Schaeffer who just completed a magnificent career first as Director of an agency helping chemically dependent individuals and families and then designing and running a multi-aspect program assisting the elderly in Contra Costa County)