Insight: New Year wisdom from 1927 by Lorraine Glowczak

As you peruse this year-in-review edition of The Windham Eagle, we hope you enjoy looking back at some of your favorite articles with fond recollections of 2017.

 

 As long as I can remember, I have always looked forward to year-in-reviews. There have been a few exceptions, however, when years were especially challenging. Instead of looking back to reminisce, I wanted to jolt forward quickly into the new year with the hope of creating happier memories. 

However 2017 has played out for you, I would like to gift you with pieces of my favorite prose/poem which I have framed and hangs on the wall in my home office. The name of the piece is, “Desiderata” written in 1927 by Max Erhmann.

As you enter 2018, may some of the words and bits of wisdom below assist you as you make decisions, reach goals and create new memories.

The first stanza of “Desiderata” states, “Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.” It seems it was a noisy world in 1927 and it is a noisy world today. Take some time to yourself and experience the quiet you find in solitude. Scientists and gurus, alike, agree that it clears the mind and helps one face the daily demands of life.

Another stanza in the prose states, “If you compare yourself with others, you will become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.” We all have been given our own unique gifts and we all have something special to give to the world. If we focus on our own gifts, we won’t have time to worry about or judge others. 

Another favorite stanza states, “Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.” I must admit, I need work on this one. I always begin the new year with high expectations of myself, only to find two or three months into the new year that I am not going fast enough to achieve my goals. As a result, in comes self-criticism.  

Toward the end of the prose, it says, “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” Was Erhmann trying to tell us not to worry so much?

And my all-time favorite stanza, “With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful! Strive to be Happy!” Pretty transparent. Enough said.

Happy New Year! If 2017 was a good year for you, may 2018 be even better. If 2017 wasn’t the best - well there is hope for joy and bliss as you leave the challenges behind. Cheers to 2018!