Admonition or Experience

My book is divided into seven sections: Encounters with Love, Pagan Poetry, Phenomenally Me (Celebrating Myself), Colorful Nights, Honoring God's Creation, Poetry in Words, and In Remembrance. I feel that this one book (164 pages), could have easily been three separate books. However, I feel that this book as is, comprising eight years of work, represents two and a half decades of my life- My youth and the things I have experienced and learned about. It begins and closes a chapter of my life and I am willing to share all of that with you.

My dad always says there are two ways to learn about life: By Listening, and by experience. He always asks me, "why do you have to learn by experience? just listen to my admonition. I won't steer you wrong." He does have a point, why not avoid heartache and pain by listening to advice?

I have to confess that I have experienced a lot of things, but I have also charted my own course in life, and have learned to listen to the still small voice, and just plain gut instinct. I also have to say, I listen to my elders on some things. But, I wouldn't change any of my past experiences in favor of the high road, because then I couldn't speak to those in need of direction from a place of experience. William Blake wrote Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, showing the contrary states of the human soul and I couldn't tell you which is better. In the world, you have people who use the wisdom of others to direct their steps and you have others who forge their own way and gain wisdom by experience. But I do agree with my dad, you don't have to experience everything to know what to do in life!