There’s a 15 minute period of time between when the plane takes off and when I can get on my computer and work. It would be fantastic if I could just relax during that time. But no, I’ve got to have a magazine. This time I bought one (O), which had this lead in to a story:
“One New Year’s Eve, when I was 21, I had a chat with a friend I’ll call Vicky [college classmate], “The last three months sucked,” Vicky said. “I had ten pounds to lose, so I didn’t let myself leave my room, except to go to class, until I hit my goal weight.” She lifted her Champagne. “This is the year I can really start living!” Two days later, Vicky was killed in a traffic accident. I’ve never been able to stop asking, How would I spend the next three months if I knew they were my last?”
We all know this — Life is short. And, there’s no way we can fit it all in. Yet, this author wrote that there are some things that it’s just too late for. Some things we really can’t go back and change. Here’s her list (with my commentary):
- It’s too late to get a completely different body. Amen. This is a hard pill to swallow – not matter how big or small or how light or dark. It is tough to accept our bodies/our looks the way they are. We can certainly make changes at the margins, but that’s it. It’s still our same face, our same bone structure. Why not enjoy what we’ve got?! Likely someone else enjoys it too!
- It’s too late to live without purpose. Living your life’s purpose begins when you embrace a state of mind that feels good, in sync with your moral being. We’ll always have things to do in our life that don’t fit our life purpose. But, we can limit them, acknowledge them and move on.
- It’s too late to live on ego candy. When you do something purely for admiration or status, in the end, it’s simply empty satisfaction. Do things that truly nourish you.
- It’s too late to turn toxic people into healthy ones. This is my downfall. I want to fix everything. I’ve found myself spending too many years trying to “fix,” only to be crushed and disappointed over and over again. Instead, go find the people who are waiting to love you. They do exist!
- It’s too late to feel guilty about enjoying the simple things. Leave space in your daily bucket for things that make you happy. Those small things that make you smile and give off that incredibly happy aura that others feed off of. It will fulfill you and will positively affect those around you.
So, sometimes it’s worth it to buy that mind-candy sort of magazine for those few minutes before “cruising altitude.” That was my simple pleasure yesterday and hopefully it helped us all as we begin our Thursday.
Have a great one!
theyearsafter50 