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Oct 2018
May I share with you ?
This simple Haiku
30/10/18.

May I share with you?
This uplifting poetry
With me all my life.


From Memory my favourite poem by Rudyard Kipling. “IF”.

If you can keep your head when all about you Are loosing there’s and blaming you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you ,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about ,don’t deal in lies.
Or being hated ,don’t give way to hating ,
And yet don’t look too good ,nor talk too wise.

If you can dream ~and not make dreams your master ,
If you can think ~ and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to ,broken.
And stoop and build them up with worn out tools.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch and toss,
And loose ,and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them “Hold on “

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue
Or walk with kings~ nor loose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you ,
If all men count with you , but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run
Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it ,
And  -which is more- you’ll be a Man,my son !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now my father and mother gave me a copy of this poem when I was about 10.
I have tried to tick all these boxes ever since.
It may seem a little old fashioned now as it was written about 110  years ago.
It’s always helped me.
I needed each and every virtue today.
,
See all of the above is true and will carry everyone through the trials of life . This has worked for me , I know it will work for you.
Philip Winchester
Written by
Philip Winchester
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