Live Each Day to the Fullest
Each day I get older, and each day I realize how often I (along with everyone else) get so caught up in our busy lives that we tend to forget just how important it is to appreciate and experience each and every moment in its simplicity. We all tend to live for the big things, the exciting things, instead of too, always appreciating the little things. Like giving our kids baths at night! Putting our kids to bed! Walking the dog on a beautiful day! Sharing a meal with your spouse! Talking to each other! Most people, if not all, live for the weekends, the holidays, or vacation, instead of cherishing each day we get to spend with family, friend or experiencing new and exciting things.
My son is going to be 10 years old. The other day I sat at the pool watching the joy in his heart and actions. How much fun he was having swimming with friends. Before, I might have sat there worrying about what my next day was like. What was on the work calendar. Bills. Every day I try, as we all should, to cherish the simple things, because soon, my son will not be running around a pool doing cannon balls, eating ice cream and laughing with his buddies. He will be off on his own, living his life and raising his own family.
And while of course it’s great to have goals and things to work towards, I think it’s equally important to remember that each day, hour, or minute from now is never promised, and to thus, live accordingly by living in the now. By not taking life for granted. And by making each and every day the best as it can be. Yes, even those supposed bad days. Sure, we all have days we’d rather forget, and believe me, I have plenty. Always sit back and think… how bad is it really?
You can choose to look at every situation in two ways: positively or negatively. Seems simple. And for the most part it is. You can either wallow and waste what you consider to be a bad day on the gamble that you’ll be given a new and better start tomorrow. Or you can accept that you are simply having a bad moment and move on. Trying to incorporate this simple mind set has helped me tremendously as a person.
I also try to remember, as time goes on, so do we. We go on, living life, forgetting completely to live in the moment and to appreciate the little things and to not take things.. or life.. for granted. We go back to being overworked and becoming too busy for the moments that really matter in the grand scheme of things. We go back to planning our entire lives, down to the retirement we hope to have by age 65, and all of the things we’ll do once we reach this new age of supposed freedom and independence.
Today, I am excited to hear how my son’s first competitive tennis match went. I am excited to go home and have my 3-year-old tell me how much more she likes her mommy, smile, and give me a hug. I am excited for my son to pepper me with questions about Fortnight, why I won’t buy him AirPods, an iPhone and/or V-bucks, but he will then share a story with me because he trusts I won’t tell his mother (which I usually do). I am excited to walk my new dog and see her point at birds. I am excited to cut up boxes that my wife has asked me to do for weeks (actually I am lying). I want my 3-year-old to ask me “want to hear something crazy” and where she should go to the potty. I am looking forward to traveling across the state to spend time with family and friends. All things I previously may have taken for granted.
I think that we tend to view life as this never ending road in which we are guaranteed to wake up happy and healthy tomorrow, and for many years to come. And although, we all know that’s not necessarily the case, we live as though it is. Even though we are all very much aware, that one day, it simply will not be. So, tell him or her how you really feel, and live each moment to the fullest.
