More on Goethe

I’ve done a little bit of thinking on this stuff. And I don’t think I”m going soft. Just chalk it up to living and learning.

Health enough to make work a pleasure.
I’ve been eating better and really, really want to start working out again. I just need to get out and do it. Work actually is a pleasure for once; some stress, but not a lot. I feel like I make a difference when I’m there. And I’m healthy enough to keep showing up.

Wealth enough to support your needs.
I can feed myself and pay my bills. I guess that counts for something.

Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them.
This was the one that surprised me. I made it through the divorce, I’ve let go of a lot of things, I’m moving forward.

Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them.
I need to think about this one. I’ve made mistakes, and I don’t know if I believe in sin. I guess if we look at the mistakes I’ve made, well, I don’t have regrets, but I know the importance of admitting the mistake and making an effort to not repeat it. This probably isn’t want Goethe meant, but since I’m not religious, that’s the closest I can get.

Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished.
This one is pretty important. I’m generally an impatient person. But good things take time, and if you’re willing to have something good happen, you can let it take the time to develop.

Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor.
Yeah, I’m doing better about seeing the good in people. Most of the time.

Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.
Oddly enough, since facing rejection and losing the love of my life, I’ve found this easier to do. It’s rewarding to help others and to know you’ve made a difference.

Faith enough to make real the things of God.
As an agnostic, I’m not sure about this one. I guess I’d need to figure out my views on god first.

Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.
I do have hope; that’s one of the things I definitely have coming out of all this. I still can’t look at where I’m going to be in a year from now, let alone next month, next week. I’m still very much in the moment and I don’t see that as a bad thing. I’m still adjusting to a lot of things, but I do know I’ll be OK — whether it’s just me and the animals, or if there ends up being someone else. That’s the biggest question for the future: whether I’ll end up with anyone. And that will play a big part on where I end up.