Have you ever been excited to open a present, wondering what great surprise may be inside? You quickly tear off the wrapping paper and open the box to find a treasure you’ve always wanted. But then something happens. The treasure gets set aside, the novelty wears off, and you forget you have it or maybe it gets buried under other “stuff.”
I’ve often thought that this is a great analogy to life. We’ve been given this amazing present – our life, but somewhere along the line we’ve forgotten to enjoy and appreciate it. We get so busy with “stuff” that we take it for granted or don’t really think about it at all.
This past week we lost two friends too early. In my opinion, they both did a great job of enjoying their lives. As I wandered through the displays of pictures from their pasts showing wonderful adventures and memories, it reminded me that life really is a gift. I want to take the shock and sadness from losing these dear people and use it as motivation to try harder to enjoy my amazing present, full of so many blessings. I want to appreciate as many moments as I can and not waste time with unnecessary regrets, worry, or fear. I want to be truly me and pursue my passion so I can look back and see the “life in my years.”
“It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts.” ~ Adlai Stevenson
What can you change or do more of to add life to your years?
Tina Hallis, Ph.D., is founder and owner of The Positive Edge, a company dedicated to helping individuals and organizations increase their positivity to improve the quality of people’s work lives and the quality of company cultures.
