A Psalm Of Life

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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.

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.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

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.

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!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;--

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

Have any of you inadvertently (or, maybe um... advertently? Is this even a word?) started some drama or scandal on your blog that involved people that YOU KNOW in real life and actually SEE from time to time?

Oh holy hell I think I've done just that. On my blog. ON ACCIDENT, I swear!

I am a very non-confrontational person. I don't believe in drama. So, I find that I am completely unprepared now that I've accidentally caused some drama of my own. I edited the offending post to remove this person's band name. Long story short: I did not like their music. Or the way they handcuffed my husband to a briefcase full of doughnuts. And now they are pissed.

Do I need to do more? Remove the post entirely?

This is a person that I see maybe once every couple/few months. We are not close. We've only talked a couple of times. But still, they are AROUND.

What do you think?

Is your blog a place where you feel it is your right to say whatever you are thinking- to tell it like it is- no matter WHO might be reading along?

Or, do you feel the need to hold certain experiences and stories back for fear of someone finding your post and becoming personally offended by your experience that involved them in some way?