When Charles Bukowski writes "the gods will offer you chances" and then Tom Waits reads it out loud, well, you best believe that shit. "The Laughing Heart" has always reminded me of the passage in Walden about living deep and sucking the marrow out of life. Each piece is a call to action. For Thoreau, it's about driving life into a corner and reducing it to its lowest terms. For Bukowski, it's about recognizing and taking the chances that life provides.

These guys couldn't be possibly be any more different. But their advice game is on point. 

Here's Tom...

 

The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski

“your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.”