I wish you hard and twisty paths,

I wish you days of hard work in the sun,

I wish you struggles and hard times,

I wish for you at least one broken heart,

I wish for you difficult cold winters,

I wish for you hard springs,

where you have to form callouses,

to break the earth and plant your summer crops.

I wish you these things,

because living an easy life,

is not living.

There is no true joy without struggle.

There is nothing to win, when everything is given to you,

There is no greater joy then holding someone close to you,

unless they were not there for awhile.

In sum, I wish you a good life where,

in the autumn of your years,

you are surrounded with love and sunshine,

that you will savor and appreciate more,

for having lived through,

seasons of drought and seasons of rain.

 

© words by Dan DeMarle 2017

Picture outside of Central Park, NYC.