Nothing holds new possibility quite like a new day.
I have been doing a lot of pondering lately. I think it has something to do with the whole Covid-19 narrative. Everything we have accepted for the truth, the way the world works, what we believe to be true in how our lives are structured, it all changed in an instant. Not slowly, with some warning to allow us to get used to it, but suddenly. Almost immediately, with an unpredictable fierceness that few would have been able to predict. I have read a lot of commentary on the topic and it has me questioning things…
We have created a world of immediacy, of rush and little time and yet, every second we have is forever lost the moment we have lived it.
I stumbled across an interview with a 94-year-old lady this week. The question to her was:
Which specific time in your life was your favourite time? If you could choose, which time do you think was the best to wish back and relive in full colour?
Her answer was profound. Without hesitation she responded with: TODAY! “Today is my favourite moment as I have time to do the things I love, to explore new territory, to add to my life experiences and to be, well me!”
Why is it that we get so busy with life that we miss today? So bogged down to fit into a structure that expects us to cope with so many conflicting demands, and then a little extra. Where we forget that today is a gift and what makes life worthwhile is right now. When it is gone, it is gone forever.
One only realise how much we have to be grateful for when we see others who have less. We only appreciate small miracles, when we take the time to notice what others deal with. I know it sounds like is a cliché, but juxtapose your current trouble against the person who just lost a loved one, the person who received news of cancer today, the child having to take on adult responsibilities way too early… and the perspective becomes instant.
I have a tendency to be impulsive. It’s strange because on the one hand, you cannot find anyone more responsible and steadfast, on the other I am quite a fool for adventure. Maybe one should call it an appetite for risk or just plain irresponsible bursts of childishness but I have made risky decisions where I know most people would have erred on the cautious side. Truth is, there is very little about those decisions that I regret. The beautiful designer piece (it’s still hanging in my closet after several seasons and I had to fight myself for weeks to buy it), the holiday I needed more than life itself when I was flat broke, following my heart and conquering Africa’s highest mountain after three years of dreaming, saving for a once in a lifetime holiday with my kids when I could have spent the money better on other life essentials, but it was so needed and so timeous because it set my soul on fire when I hardly could feel a spark.
Someone once told me that they look for signs about who someone is by what they decorate their homes with. What did they place on the bedroom wall, that they loved enough to look at when they wake up every morning, and I was speechless! For countless years I had to work almost day and night just to make ends meet, buying something beautiful for my home, something that makes me happy just wasn’t on the cards! It was a luxury. You would have learnt nothing about me by looking at my home, it was bland and that wasn’t me! Today I know that what makes me happy need not cost a fortune and that I would have felt the better for it. So,
Get that art work.
Wear that red dress or lace – because today is the special occasion. Not tomorrow.
Enjoy what makes your heart sing, do little things for yourself because few things in life beat a smiling heart.
I bet you won’t regret it!
Tomorrow is not certain and life can change in a second. It is not about who gets over the finish line first or about how you battled the odds to make it in a made-shift, artificial world imagined by humans and age-old regimes. It is about how you choose to live your life every moment and how much you make of today! Today is a new opportunity to change it all. To smile more, enjoy more and feel more content and happy.
It’s time to grasp today with both hands. Do it today!
Sending you love…
