Originally posted on Facebook HERE
Woke up this morning thinking about the change in seasons. Fall is coming, and just yesterday it seems like it was January first, a new year was dawning, and I had big plans. I accomplished many of those plans already, but the year sure seemed to blow by so far. Thanksgiving, Christmas and the new new year aren’t that far off. I see that with a touch of sadness. Like, wow – the years sure go by fast. I think the older you get, the more you realize the importance of every moment. Just like each year has it’s seasons, life has seasons as well. We often divide the seasons of our life into decades. 0-10, 11-20, 21-30, etc… 0-10 are the “when I was a kid” memories we all have. Usually the best and worst things that happened to us is what we retain. And the older we get the more hazy the 0-10 memories become, and the fewer seem to remain in there… 11-20 the “teenage” years. Sometimes decisions we made that long ago can still be driving what we do today. I started drinking and using drugs when I was 14. That decision has impacted my life and continues to impact my life every day. So, you get the point, we can look back on our life and remember the best and worst things that happened to us, and just like seasons in the year, though – when fall hits, you know the end is coming. I’m 59 now. The last year of my 50’s and next year is the big SIX-0. Sixty. How the heck did that happen? Just yesterday I was eighteen! I had all these plans… well, I accomplished many of them. And now, when I look forward to the years I have left – it no longer seems endless. I think when I was twenty, the future seemed endless. When the end of life is closer than the beginning (I doubt I’ll make it another 59 years), time becomes more valuable. And it moves faster. My father passed at seventy-one years old. That would give me twelve years. Holy shit. TWELVE YEARS? I better learn how to enjoy every moment, get in touch with God, and make love a priority. My mother lived to be ninety-seven. That would give me thirty-eight years. More palatable, but… I don’t want to ever be in a nursing home. I never want to lose my eyesight, my hearing, my mental acuity… and since I watched mom live her last twelve years in a nursing home, I know they’re full of others who felt the same way. I better do what I can to stay in shape, physically and mentally. We will all die. We all have choices to make regarding how we spend the time we’re given. The sooner you realize how precious every moment is, the more you can align yourself with what’s truly important for yourself. Don’t wait until you hit the fall or winter seasons of your life and look back in regret. You get one shot at this. Every moment counts. Tomorrow is promised to no-one. Align with God, with Love, with happiness. Look within, know what’s important, live from there. No matter what season you’re in.
