Resolve to smell the Roses

Every day is a gift!   Never does that simple phrase hit home more than when someone dies.  Since my co-worker Lynetta was my age, it hit me even harder because it made me think of all the things I would miss out on if I were to die; and all the things I really want to accomplish that I haven’t  gotten around to. 

We are not guaranteed a certain amount of time on this earth.  I wonder if we knew how much time we had left if we would live a whole lot differently.  Would I waste my time on stupid television shows?  Would I spend as much time napping on the weekend, not because I’m tired but because I’m bored or avoiding some task that I dread.

The thing is once that moment, or that hour passes you can never get it back again.  Sort of like words. Once they are spoken you can’t really recall them back if they were said in anger, or in haste.

Every moment holds the potential to do a good deed, to say a kind word, to offer a prayer.  A preacher friend of mine once told me that he is in a habit of doing breath prayers.  These you basically say as you breathe in and breath out.  He said he did it so often that he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it anymore.  I like that.   Breathe in   God is Good,  breathe out All the Time.  Something like that. 

For a while, while Lynetta’s death and all the things she didn’t get to do and say and experience are on my mind, my resolve to spend my time more wisely will probably be pretty strong.  It will begin to wane eventually and I’ll be back to my  old self again…putting off the things I want to do, putting off the things I need to do. 

Maybe I will find a way to strike a balance and get thing done, but still find time to relax and enjoy the journey.  Take time to smell the roses, but not put off until tomorrow what I can do today.  Worth a try.