Dilemma

• To laugh is to risk appearing a fool
• To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
• To reach out for another is to risk involvement
• To expose feelings is to risk rejection
• To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule
• To love is to risk not being loved in return
• To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure
• But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or love. Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave. He has forfeited his freedom. Only a person who takes risks is free.
  • Look for opportunity, not guarantees.
  • Life is what's coming, not what was.
  • Life is a journey, not a destination.
  • You must give up the way it is ... to have it the way you want it.
  • Dependency is a slavery by mutual agreement.
  • Paradox - If you give up the need for security, you will be secure.
  • Some people try to softly tip-toe through life so that they can arrive at death safely!
  • Procrastination is the fault most people put off correcting.
  • If you want to make an enemy, try to change someone.
  • Success is getting up one more time.
  • When your ship comes in, make sure you are willing to unload it.
  • The best way to escape from your problem is to solve it! Live as though it was your last day on earth someday, you will be right!

(This poem was found in Mary Onopchenkos' purse the night of her untimely death - September 9, 1988. Her brother Alex read this on her behalf the day she was buried. The essence of her personality and character are echoed in every line. Please read and understand, as she had, the Dilemma we all face on earth.)