Today was one of those days when I realized again how one day in your life can change everything you know just by your perception. What you previously complained about now seemed like some big misunderstanding. Or how you would love to go back and only have that thing or situation to complain about.

Take Beauty and the Beast. When she was living in her village she thought it to be a “provincial” life. Oh how she yearned for more. But when she was trapped in the dungeon her old life seemed like heaven and she would give anything to be back.

Soon she chose to see the beauty in the place and find the magic. She made it seem so wonderful that she almost hated to leave.

How to make every day so wonderful that we hate for it to end? 

Even though we are tired, or sick, or can’t seem to get anything done, or we are sick with worry over a child or a grandchild; it might be helpful to remember that this is just a blip in our life. It’s a moment we can never regain.

This weekend we watched old family movies. I used to just sit the camera in the room and record our everyday life. As we watched our lives in the seemingly mundane moments of yesteryear, we realized that any one of us would give anything to go back there just for a day. Knowing what we know now- we would make that day heaven. We would hug and look deep into the eyes of our then 9-year-old and tell her everything going to be ok. Smile at their childlike innocence. We would look at our aged parents and say: “You know how much I appreciate all you’ve done for me, for raising me and sacrificing for me”

I would tell my teenage kids to enjoy that day because in exactly 12 years you are going to be looking at the tape of this day and say “Wow. I didn’t have one bill to pay, I didn’t know real sickness or real pain or sorrow. My heart hadn’t been broken into pieces, I haven’t had to watch my child suffer through surgery or through an illness or through the pain of loneliness or the unkindness of the world.–and yet I still was sassy, or was onery, or miserable because THAT day didn’t go right… or someone said something wrong to ” me…”

THAT DAY can never be given back…Just like today can never be recouped. The whole theory of being present is sometimes such a struggle. We are always looking for the next thing. Always searching- for a better way. Searching for more personal development, searching for positiveness and kindness, When I don’t get it I pout. Then I look for more. On and on it goes in the endless cycle of the rat race, while each day of opportunity disappears. Finally, we realize all our chances are fast being used up. The chance to help someone have a better day. The chance to help my patient feel better about being holed up in a 12 x 14 room for weeks on end. The chance to make a difference.

If I offend someone today. I might feel a lot of guilt about it, yet at the same time, I spend precious time JUSTIFYING my actions!! We can convince ourselves of ANYTHING if given enough time, but we can never get that time back.
I just want time to slow down. I want to feel every second. I want to live every second. To not always be looking ahead – to lunch-to the weekend.

I want to live while I can. Life is just too short for weeds. And just long enough for wishes.