All complaints aside,
I can't believe how blessed
I have been in this life.
First, I was given a human body.
You might say, doesn't that mean
an awful lot of suffering,
but I say, Would you really
rather be a cow or
a lizard?
Then I was born in the richest country
on earth where I would want
for nothing materially
and receive the best education
available—and wisely
I appreciated it.
As a result, I became one of the first
free women in the world
in thousands of years.
Freely I wandered, observed,
studied and pondered,
enjoying the greatest thinkers and artists.
Sure, I was insulted, mugged, raped,
beaten and glared at homicidally,
but it was worth it!
I sang my poems, wove my stories,
elaborated my essays, as I sought out
the supreme spiritual masters
who taught me to open my mind and heart,
meditate and pray. I am still learning,
becoming ever more childlike and candid.
Yes, I have suffered, I cannot count the ways.
But even I cannot imagine the good Fortune
that granted me this blessed life.