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“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to learn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
Have we ever stopped to think about what we really love? Sure, the simple answers are spouse, kids, friends, relatives, and pets. And we are grateful for a job, a house, cars, etc.
But in the wake of the pandemic, did any of us experience the loss of something we didn’t even know was so loved? I think most of us have a strange but new empathy for people in unfortunate circumstances and the possible lessons that may be a silver lining we have yet to notice. Maybe it’s a new sense of vulnerability that’s given us a better vision. Personally, I don’t know if I ever had a full appreciation regarding the impact of the following: