It is true for me that the older I get, the faster time seems to go by. I know it’s not really going by faster, but my perception is that it is. I get so immersed in life and all that there is to do and attend to, that it’s as if I blink and a month is gone, I blink again and a season is gone, I blink again and it’s the same day only a year later.
Having pets really drive this point home. My old friend Conor (pictured above) is in his last days with us. It could be next week or in two or three months, but it’s clear that he is on his way to wherever dogs go next. He has been with us for 13 years, and I can vividly remember picking him up and bringing him home as a furry little ball of puppy breath. My children Brett and Allie were 13 and 11 at the time. Now they are 26 and 24. A lot has occurred during the life of Conor, just like a lot had occurred in the life of Ladd his predecessor who we got when Brett was born.
You have no idea how old you actually are
So where am I going with this? Just bringing home a point that life moves quickly to me, and is likely moving quicker for you than it used to. For me, the idea that life is short rings true. There are already things that I could physically do when I was young that I can’t do now. I never thought about it as the time was going by, but then one day, certain things had to be let go. I may or may not have appreciated those things as much as I should have when they were easily accessible for me, but through the wisdom of the added years, I am much more appreciative now of what is around me and what I am able to do and participate in. So now to the main point here. You have no idea how old you actually are because you have no idea how much time you have left on the earth. Regardless of your physical age, if you only have a few years left, you are very old for you in terms of your time allotment.
The idea of “waiting until retirement” to do something is ridiculous
So with this in mind, doesn’t it make sense to live the life you want? Doesn’t it make sense to experience what you want to experience and be with the people you want to be with? The idea of “waiting until retirement” to do something is ridiculous…what if you are unable to physically do it then? What if you don’t make it to then?
Live each day like you feel fortunate to have it. I know it’s not always easy to think this way…heck, we can get so caught up in STUFF that we can have several days go by and not even consider what happened in those days! I can speak for myself here, and I hope for you too, soon, if not now…I will not miss a day. I will be fully in. Why not join me?
When you live a day at a time, with vigor, inside of the “sweet spot” of your priorities, you are bound to make some mistakes
Here’s the take away for you. When you live a day at a time, with vigor, inside of the “sweet spot” of your priorities, you are bound to make some mistakes. Consider that we live our lives constantly walking a line in which one side is “too much” of something and the other side is “not enough.” Since none of us are perfect, we will consistently err on one side or the other of this line. So here are some errors I am happy to make, and hopefully they can help you in the errors you do, and will, make:
Giving too much grace to people in my life
trying too hard to be a better person today than I was yesterday
caring too much about the people I work with and serve
loving too much and being too vulnerable to the important people in my life
working too hard at taking care of myself
playing too hard
Being too authentic
Venturing too far into the unknown
Daring too much
Pursuing dreams that are too big
Spending too much time with the people I love
Learning too much
Investing too much in people who are trying to grow
Spending too much time in my barefeet
There are definitely many more errors I want to make, and I consider this list a starting point. The question for you is what errors are you going to make? What are you going to do too much of?
