Why Wait?

Imagine you were told you had one year left to live, or perhaps even five. I’d assume many of us would instantly make a bucket list and anxiously begin to check those items off! I bring this up not to be sad and solemn about it, especially when this is some people’s real reality and news they’ve been given, but to realize that this is reality, we just don’t know yet. Truly, our time here on Earth in not guaranteed, so don’t miss those opportunities. I’d assume you’d make some phone calls, or possibly reallocate your time and what you choose to spend it on, maybe you would find it in your heart to forgive someone to free you of that pain it is causing, you might call that childhood friend who was kind to you that brings a smile to your face when you teach your own kids about befriending the kid on the playground who plays alone, maybe you would even chip away at a goal that you’ve had on your mind, or maybe you’d reach out to a sweet teacher you’ve always remembered, or maybe you’d buy the mama doing her mama juggle in your neighborhood a Starbucks, or bring a neighbor’s trash cans in, maybe you would volunteer where you’ve been feeling that heart tug to help, maybe you’d sit down and work on that puzzle your kid has been asking you to do the last month, or maybe you’d share with someone how they’ve made an impact on your life.

Is our time guaranteed? My purpose of this post is to encourage you to reach into your past, memories, and highlights and share with those who might not ever know how they made an impact on your life, or how they are currently making life a little sweeter. I sure don’t want to wait to tell people these things at their funeral! But really, last year I went to a funeral and heard all these amazing stories and ways this sweet woman impacted lives around her, and I wondered how many of them actually shared these deep heart feelings and impacts with her while she was alive. Why hold it in when you have the breath right now to share? What if it would brighten someone’s day, or bring a smile to their face at a time when they needed one, or perhaps it might encourage that person to do the same for others. Words matter. Maybe you have ideas that dance around in your head, or memories that bring a smile to your face that are stuffed down deep into our hearts and you keep it in when you could be sharing it. Why not now, why wait?

A few months ago my husband had a presentation he was preparing for that required him to speak about a few people who influenced and shaped who he is today. In the almost twenty years we’ve done life together, I learned something new about him that day. I was teary-eyed hearing about a former supervisor who had impacted his life, and how his uncle shaped his view and value of taking the time to put others first when you enter a room. Later I asked him if he had ever shared these deep thoughts and impacts with these people who may otherwise have no idea how they made an imprint on his life, because now these qualities are part of his legacy that affect me and our tribe.

Oh friends, life is precious! It’s truly a privilege to be alive and breathing, may you make the most of it and share. I enjoy routine and schedule and find that I accomplish more when it’s on my calendar, or I see a note in my journal. So, I’ve decided to make Wednesdays my day where I take time to think of what I can share with someone who has made a difference in my life. I’ll call it Words on Wednesdays. Join me, and let’s do it while we have the chance! You’ve got one go at this life and since tomorrow is not guaranteed, take each day for what it’s worth. ~Make it grow