I think the following email I received would have been a fitting piece in my series on AGE that I just finished. Take a look at this wonderful post that I received from my good friend, Clarence Clavon! It's definitely written by someone who has EMBRACED THEIR AGE and found Wisdom (and some great experiences) in their LIFETIME!
Too many people put off something that would bring them joy just because they have not planned for it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
I was thinking one day about all of those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible. How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until "after" something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean anything to you? Cook it tomorrow! How often have your kids dropped in "to talk" and they sat "in silence" while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television or a football game? I cannot count the times I called a girlfriend and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would choke up and stammer, 'I can't". I have clothes in the washer. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'I'm too tired.' My friend died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together. She never found the "time".
Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to even "schedule" our headaches.. We live on an unrealistic diet of promises we make to ourselves to do "when all the conditions are perfect"? We promise ourselves to go back and visit the grandparents when we get Chris toilet-trained. We'll entertain our friends when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a weekend get away or a second honeymoon when we get the 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. and "where are all my family and friends"?'
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 Rollerblades and skip an elevator for some stairs.. Her number one priority is to Keep God the center of her life.
My lips had 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? So, why are you waiting?
Have you ever watched kids playing ball 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 really hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? How often have you told your child or your mate, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see their face full of sorrow? Ever lost touch with yourself and life? Always too busy and let a good friendship die? Too busy to Just call to say 'Hi'?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift from God. Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Learn to take it slower. Hear the music, smell the roses, listen to the rain drops learn to enjoy each minute, hour, day, and year before it is too late, before your song is over.
“Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here, we might as well enjoy the dance!”
"Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we don't have time to count our blessings.
Proverbs 4:6. "Forsake not Wisdom, and she will keep, defend, and protect you. Love her and she will guard you.
Proverbs 4:7, 8, 9, &10. The beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful & Godly Wisdom). And with all you have gotten, get understanding. Prize Wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt and promote you, she will bring you to honor when you embrace her. She will give to your head a wreath or gratefulness, a crown of beauty and glory will she deliver to you. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life shall be many.
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