If (with apologies to Rudyard Kipling

If you can...

• start the day without caffeine,
• get going without pep pills,
• always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
• resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
• eat the same food everyday & be grateful for it,
• understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
• overlook it when those you love take it out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
• take criticism and blame without resentment,
• ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him,
• resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
• face the world without lies and deceit,
• conquer tension without medical help,
• sleep without the aid of drugs,
• say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics,

Then, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog.