Live Simply Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

She who allows herself to be bound by habit,
Following the same routes
Along the same roads
Begins to see.

She who allows passion to ebb and grow
To flame and fade
To lead her blindly
And then relent
Begins to love.

She who stands straight
As her world tosses and turns
And her friends tug and shove
Begins to live.

She who does not travel may read,
She who does not talk can listen,
She who does not insist on herself
May find herself treasured by those
Who have not begun to believe in themselves.

She who knows she is needed
Will find her self-esteem in her acts
As they are reflected back on her
In tiny tokens of affection.

She who offers her energy
To further her friends' dreams
Without asking what it will mean
Or what she will receive
Begins to give.

And in giving she grows.
And in growing she flowers.
And in her bloom there is beauty
And scent
And nectar

And the world buzzes around her
As she stands planted firmly on her own ground.