Recipe For Living

Some things a man must surely know,
  If he is going to live and grow:
He needs to know that life is more
  Than what a man lays by in store,
That more than all he may obtain,
  Contentment offers greater gain.
He needs to feel the thrill of mirth,
  To sense the beauty of the earth,
To know the joy that kindness brings
  And all the worth of little things.
He needs to have an open mind,
  A friendly heart for all mankind,
A trust in self--without conceit--
  And strength to rise above defeat.
He needs to have the will to share,
  A mind to dream, a soul to dare,
A purpose firm, a path to plod,
  A faith in man, a trust in God.

--Alfred Grant Walton