An Inspiring Reading -- "The Gift of Choice"

I came into the world without being asked,
And when the time for dying comes
I shall not be consulted;

But between the boundaries of birth and death
Lies the dominion of Choice:

To be a doer or a dreamer,
To be a lifter or a leaner.
To speak out or remain silent,
To extend a hand in friendship
Or to look the other way:
To feel the sufferings of others
Or to be callous and insensitive.

These are the choices.
It is in the choosing
That my measure as a person
Is determined.

Gertrude Hildreth Housman