Back to Life

Well, I totally missed Poetry Friday again, but I just came across this great site, and I figure I need to share it. My friend, Megan sent the link to me for The Favorite Poem Project, and I finally took time this morning to look. It's really cool! Little embedded vids allow regular folks to talk about their favorite poems, how they've influenced their lives, and then the poem is there, in text and read by the person.

I found the vid about this poem to be particularly touching, and quite apropos for where I am right now in my physical recovery.

A Psalm of Life

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN SAID TO THE PSALMIST
I Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,

And things are not what they seem.

II Life is real—life is earnest—

And the grave is not its goal:
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,

Was not spoken of the soul.

III Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,

Is our destin'd end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow

Find us farther than to-day.

IV Art is long, and time is fleeting,

And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating

Funeral marches to the grave.

V In the world's broad field of battle,

In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

Be a hero in the strife!

VI
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act—act in the glorious Present!

Heart within, and God o'er head!

VII
Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time.

VIII
Footprints, that, perhaps another,

Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwreck'd brother,

Seeing, shall take heart again.

IX
Let us then be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.

I feel like I've been slumbering a bit (although obviously not long enough this morning, because I was up at 4:30!), but, you know, in my life, because things have to be put on hold while one recovers from injury or illness. But I am glad to be back in the active world again, working and living and making my own footprints in the sand.

My sinuses are still dripping (more like the fateful call of The Raven by Poe, actually - drip, drip, drip, drip), but I'm back at work and doing well. The surgeon said Friday that he's thinking I might never need to have the knee replaced - isn't that cool? It's all healing so well! What a lovely bit of news, eh? Each time it seems more real! I have one more week of part-time work, and physical therapy is scheduled . . . and then he said to continue physical therapy as long as worker's comp will let me. I'm going to need to call my case worker Monday and see what the deal is on that!

Simon leaves for Scout Camp today (Mike will drive him out there), and we'll go retrieve him Saturday. He only has a few badges he's working on this time (in the past he's worked on 6 in a week), but one of them is Lifeguarding, which could eventually yield him some income - gasp!