In the book beyond halftime by Bob Buford there's a chapter on “I've had enough.” It talks about an encounter a friend of his had with a woman. She was saying goodbye to her daughter and they both parted by saying, “I wish you enough.”
He went on to say he was curious about this exchange so he asked her what those parting words meant. She said it was a family parting saying and it came from a poem. She recited this to him.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in your life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final goodbyes.
In researching this I found that it is attributed to Bob Perks, who is a writer and speaker. Bob Buford added the following comments on this poem by saying it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them.
I find that there is a lot of wisdom in this poem. I think about the fact that if you don’t have any issues, losses or problems then you don’t recognize good time when they appear. If you never experienced gloomy, cold rainy days, would you really appreciate the warm sunny days when they appear.
If you have never experienced a hot, humid windless summer day would you really appreciate a nice cooling breeze blowing in over a lake? It’s the same with wanting and having things, or experiences.
If you never lost anything, would you appreciate it more than some one who has lost it and now has gained it back? Last, if you have never lost someone whose presence you really enjoy, do you appreciate those same people when they are around you?
So many philosophical questions to ponder? Have you ever thought about them.
Next time you say goodbye to some one tell them, “I wish you enough.”
It says so much more then just saying, “Live Long and Prosper” or Health, Prosperity and Peace be upon you.” It goes to the heart of contemplative living.
Last, remember life is for living and enjoying, you can’t save it up for some other time because you don’t know what the future will bring. If you think about these changes, you will find that you will really enjoy retirement.
I am here to help coach you on living life with gusto and to help you to keep moving forward with your plans on enjoying life. Want more ideas, sign up for our classes, join in the discussion and become part of our community about life after working at www.patterson2y2r.com
Your feedback is very important to us so if you would like to contact us with a question or comment.
The mailbox associated with this email address is patterson.2y2r@gmail.com .
If you no longer wish to receive A Life Well Lived, please email us at patterson.2y2r@gmail.com .
Comments