A Moment in My Life – Friday, November 20, 2020
I can’t wait until this is over! First chance I get, I’m moving out of this town away from all this. I will be free to be me, do what I want to do, and broaden my horizons. It’s Monday! I can’t wait until Friday, and then I can begin to live my life doing what I want to do. We’ve all been through a similar scenario like these. I’ve been guilty of this because I’m always in a hurry to get things over with so I could move on to other things, but when I get to the next thing, it’s the same old same old where I am looking ahead to something else. Maybe that’s the mentality of a multi-tasker with too much on her plate. I don’t know. I’ve been too busy to notice.
I remember eons ago, when my friend, Julia, enthusiastically told me about her vacation. She enlivened each moment while I vicariously vacationed with her. She said, “I didn’t want it to end!” She savored each minute she was there. Up until then, I had never heard anyone talk like that. Even with vacation, I was in a hurry racing from place to place, event to event, and tour to tour. I planned to make the most of our vacations. When I wasn’t out enjoying the locale, I was planning and plotting the next day’s itinerary in our hotel room. Savoring the moment was never on the list. Her words resonated in my mind ever since.
Julia’s words, “I didn’t want it to end!” encourages me not to miss the journey that I am on. I try to be present and savor each moment of my day rather than hurry to move on. She’s right. As I think back, there are many moments that I didn’t want to end. I certainly wish my life with Mark didn’t end. The exquisite sunrises and sunsets captured from other parts of the world on our vacations cause me to wish I was still there. If I knew then that it won’t always be like this, I would have spent more time there.
Time spent with friends and family over a meal or coffee, on a walk, taking in a movie, shopping, or sitting around lounging together are memories of yesterday. I loved those memories. I long for those moments again. I sure will savor them when I do. I know it won’t always be like this.
Better late than never to learn the importance of slowing down and stopping to smell the roses. That goes for the mundane or routine tasks, too. Even the day job that we may have dreaded, but we may not have it forever for whatever reason. Throughout my career, I’ve heard many people dread the workday and lived for the weekend. I, too, have occasionally felt that way. As I grow older, I realize that I can be me and do what I want without waiting for the weekend. If I live in the moment and enjoy my journey, that means I should do everything I want to do each day, not only on the weekends. Living in the moment means just that—do and live each day. Take every opportunity, and just do it! It won’t always be like this.
The good news is that the same goes for the bad times like right now with Covid-19 or some crisis or challenge you might be facing. It won’t always be like this. Hang in there! You can do this because God won’t put us through more than we can handle. Just persevere, have faith, and do everything you can. Seek help for what you can’t. There’s light at the end of the tunnel because it won’t always be like this.