If you can take praise without being phased
And you can dream dreams that are bold and unbounded
If you can be critiqued without being irate
And be realistic with fastened feet that are girded and grounded
If you can succeed without having pride
And believe in the guiding hands of fate
If you can fizzle and fail without being fried
And create your own destiny and not simply wait
If you can see the world and worry
And despite being wary you still dare to hope and get married and have a child
If you can learn to see the world in all its glory
And keep it aglow while you grow old and fan your curiosity to burn wild
If you can understand man not by his accomplishments but how much he endeavors
And plan for the future without knowing not what will await
If you can come to value kindness over the one who is ever so clever
And set the alarm at night in trust that tomorrow you’ll awake
If you can hold in your mind your past future and present
And still have room for the world in your blessed heart
If you can reach the height of heights but still care for the peasant
And learn to keep your identity separate, distinct, and apart
If you can see that everyone is very much both wrong and right
And that truth is not black or white but actually grey
If you can focus on what people mean in the grand scheme of life
And not what they do nor what they say
If you can feel the world suffer and let not your heart grow tougher
All the while seeing people’s potent and powerful hate
If you can be disappointed yet remain a loyal lover
And despite the darkness have faith in man at any rate
If you can grasp life as an enormous yet certainly surmountable test
And realize that its breath-taking beauty is more than skin-deep
If you can appreciate our worth is what is said of us after our final rest
And all of life can only be understood when you take a leap
Then you will be what you must be
And these are some beliefs that I believe that I wish to share as a father
Please don’t wait to read and reread this creed after I leave
You my dear lovely son and daughter