In the summer of 1988, I took a one-day business trip to Nashville, TN, that would dramatically alter the course of my life. On the way back, we stopped in Atlanta to change planes. Before the flight took off, I had met a man with whom I would fall in love and spend the next 12 years.
One moment is sometimes all it takes to make a dramatic impact on our lives, good or bad. A doctor giving us dreadful news about the results of a test; a child who dies suddenly in a freak accident; an unexpected call from an old colleague offering us the job of our dreams; moving ahead of one person in the line to buy lottery tickets and winning $300 million.
When we’re young we don’t think quite as much about the twists and turns of our lives as we do now. We couldn’t wait to see what lurked around the corner. We experimented. We plunged ahead. We lived on the edge. We were indestructible, invincible, and impervious to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
On one hand, we may be more at peace with ourselves now, but hasn’t a bit of caution also crept into our lives?
“Oh, I’d better not eat that spicy curry dish. It might give me indigestion.”
“Those subway stairs are pretty treacherous in the winter. I don’t want to fall and break my leg.”
“Uh Oh. I swear that mole on my arm has gotten bigger.”
“The back left tire on the car looks like it’s losing air. What if it causes an accident on the way to the gas station?”
“Why isn’t the pilot de-icing the wings? Is he crazy? We’re all going to die.”
“If I climb up on the ladder to change the light bulb, I may lose my balance and crash to the ground.”
It’s not always fun getting up there in age, but aren’t we lucky we have? So even if we sometimes worry about indigestion, life is really delicious and we’ve got to relish it every chance we can.
0 Responses to “The deliciousness of life”
Cheryl Barker says:
I agree — life is indeed delicious. So many blessings and joy all around us. We just need to choose to see them and take time to enjoy them.
Mick says:
A bit of caution is very good for you. A bit, not an overabundance.
Enjoy the curry, save half of the serving for another meal, and take an antacid.
You have on gloves, it’s winter: hang on to the handrail on the subway staircase.
Check your tires and your moles for changes regularly before either becomes “unfixable.”
Let the professionals do their job: really – are YOU going to get up out of your seat and de-ice for them?
Finally, buy a stable ladder and set it up properly before climbing: enlist someone else to hold it (and unlikely, stand by to catch you if you fall) if you are still anxious.
Live life unafraid! Worry accomplishes nothing: a little sensibility makes all things possible.