Worthwhile moments

Today as I was checking my e-mail, I got one of those forwards from one of my friends that are traditionally very cheesy. When I read this one though, I really liked what it said. You know, sometimes it's not such a horrible thing to be reminded of some good things. Cheesy? Maybe; but that doesn't mean that it isn't worthwhile every once in a while. So, I thought I would share this with you, and then talk about it some more. Even if you aren't someone who normally reads things like this, take a minute and do so. It might make you think.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gasp and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday. I had a late breakfast. It looks like rain." And my personal favorite: "It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.

We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet-trained.

We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet.

We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older.

The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer.

One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to", "I plan on" , and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list.

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.  

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

Do you run through each day on the fly?

When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head?

Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch?

Let a good friendship die?

Just call to say "Hi"? When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift....Thrown away...

Life is not a race. Take it slower.

Hear the music before the song is over.

Okay, so it was still sappy, but a lot of it is really important. I know I have talked before about lost friends and how much it hurts. I like a few things in particular. "When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply?" I think that more often than not we don't. How many times does the person respond "Okay"? More often than not, this is a standard response, and we just go one with the rest of the conversation. Regardless of what the answer is, there is always more information behind what they said. "Not bad," probably means that there is something bothering them. If you really care how they are, follow up.

Think about when someone says they have "Had a rough day." How often do you agree and launch into your own tale of woe? Often people will try and get someone to listen to them only to find out that they aren't going to get it. When I took Psychology at Harvard, I had an amazing professor, and he told us that the best thing that a psychologist could do was listen. He said that almost no one had someone who would actually listen to them. I thought to prove him wrong, and so I called some very significant people that night, wanting to talk about some of the problems I had. They included my best friend and my parents. Not one of them listened for more than 2 minutes before turning to their own conversations. I went to bed in tears, feeling truly alone. I try to watch myself and catch me from doing things like that to others. Trust me, I know it's hard, but I also think it's worth it.

I don't necessarily agree that you should take life slower, but I think that if you have to make time for the things that you enjoy, and take time for yourself. On top of that, I think that if you take a little more time doing for other people, you will feel much better. I would like to think that there is something within human nature that improves the way we feel about ourselves when we help others. A small effort can turn someone's day completely around. A simple smile or a kind word can go a long way. More than anything, everyone can offer, and can use a sympathetic ear. Listening is one of the best things that you can do for someone else as well as for yourself. I highly recommend it.

Well, I went on that strain for long enough. I am going to go enjoy the rest of my Thursday night.