If you haven’t figured it out, I love to read the thoughts of great poets. Walt Whitman is one you see time and time again. I appreciate his thoughts and writings the most. He makes me think. And I love to think. Thinking is one of my favorite hobbies. Listen to this one, “I have learned to be with those I like is enough.” Let’s think together on this one ... (you thinking?). There are so many things about this statement that I love. There is no better feeling than the satisfaction of having learned something for yourself. We are taught so many things from others, but nothing feels more rewarding than having learned something from experience. They say (the "they" that know all) that experience is the best teacher. Unfortunately this teacher imparts painful lessons. When I was a child my mom would always tell me not to put my hand on the hot stove, but it wasn’t until I did that I learned what hot was. Yeah, it hurt, but now I know what hot is ... and what pain is ... and what 3rd degree burns are. My mom was upset. She didn't understand why I had to learn it on my own. Even then, at such a young age, I knew that life was about experience. I
wasn’t back talking or ignoring her advice. I simply had to find out for myself. We can learn only so much from other people’s experience of the world. We must experience it for ourselves. That’s how we learn the best. Sound silly? Not to me. Life was created to be experienced. That's why we have our senses. Not just for survival, or protection; but to experience beauty as well. I don’t want to teach you, I just want to share my insights and experience. It is up to you to learn. Another point from Walt Whitman's thought was the word “enough”. When is enough, enough? I mean really. In an insatiable world, when is enough, enough. I spent years being overweight and it wasn’t because I had a thyroid problem. It was because I had a calorie problem ... too many of them. I now know when to say when. I had to learn this the hard way. I had to learn to say that’s enough pasta (or to my mother, "Yes, I love pasta but I have had enough."). For years my motto with everything was if some is good, more is better. But I've learned that sometimes the simple things in life, like good friends and good times with them, are enough on their own. Thrive to succeed and break every boudary, but learn in your life when enough is enough.