Taste Life Blog

To celebrate my birthday I wanted to share with you my favorite readers, one of my favorite poems for you to taste life!

After a While- By Veronica A. Shoffstall

After a while, you learn the subtle difference,

Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn’t mean learning

And company doesn’t mean security,

And, you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts

And presents aren’t promises.

And you begin to accept your defeats

With your head up and your eyes open

With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all your roads on today

Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans,

And futures have a way of falling down in midflight.

After a while, you learn

That even sunshine burns if you

Get too much.

So you plant your own garden

And decorate your own soul.

Instead of waiting for someone to

Bring you flowers.

And you learn that you can really can

Endure…

That you are really are strong.

And you really do have worth.

And you learn and learn…

With every goodbye, you learn.”

Since 1999, I have carried this poem around with me. It has been the most requested column by Ann Landers.