Is there a system for using our life, a kind of life course
I use the term using because life’s a limited resource

We have it for a while, not long enough we think
And then it’s gone forever like a finger snap or blink

Some parents lay out blueprints for their girls and boys
How well are those plans followed through all of life’s noise

The same mistakes are made one generation to the next
When we see them, though, we can’t help but be perplexed

On those occasions when offspring follow our advice
It seems that the pains of parenting are worth the price

The price of disappointment when things don’t turn out well
Of revising expectations when your hopes have gone to hell

Instead of thriving in this world and climbing to the top
Things may not go so well, there may be a belly flop

Is it better not to plan at all, to live from day to day
Ignoring plans and strategies you think will likely pay

I envy times when humans lived in families or in clans
Knowing what they are gonna do without making any plans

This world hard to navigate and getting even tougher
We’ve got to lay out a course or we’ll surely suffer