9/20/2021 0 Comments Seize the MomentMost of us have that one friend who lives by the philosophy: Seize the moment. Just possibly that friend may be the wisest friend you have. Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they refuse to take the time to seize the moment—it's not 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 those women 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 nothing to you? How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched Jeopardy on television? Take advantage of the opportunity, seize the moment. How many times has someone asked you out to lunch, invited you to hang out, or to just drop by for a few minutes? How many times have you gave them an excuse? If you are like me, probably most of the time. What if that person asking you was suddenly taken by death? You would probably be left with a lot of regrets for always giving an excuse instead of making time for them. Because we cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule time for the things that bring us despair and heartache. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect and fail to seize the moment: We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Tommy toilet-trained. We'll entertain-when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon-when we get one more kid 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." I want to share what a friend told me the other day that really got me to noticing how often I cheat myself when I don't seize the moment: She said: My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my hips 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. Lately, I have lost several family members that I have not visited in a while. Why? I was waiting until I could fit them into my busy schedule, Now it's too late and I'll never have that chance again. But, it has opened my eyes to just how much I have been putting things in the wrong order, and that I have not been taking time to seize the moment with the people in my life. That is changing here and now—I will be seizing the moment more often; and I pray you do too. Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to ....not something on your SHOULD DO list. Seize the Moment!
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AuthorKaren Pless Gaines Archives
September 2021
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