Ordinary Lives

by William Martin



Do not ask your children

to strive for extraordinary lives.

Such striving may seem admirable,

but it is the way of foolishness.

Help them instead to find the wonder

and the marvel of an ordinary life.

Show them the joy of tasting

tomatoes, apples and pears.

Show them how to cry

when pets and people die.

Show them the infinite pleasure

in the touch of a hand.

And make the ordinary come alive for them.

The extraordinary will take care of itself.



From The Parent’s Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents (New York: Marlowe and Company, 1999; a translation of verse 35 from the Tao Te Ching, with much to say about the writing of haiku). +