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Body, Mind, and Spirit

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Might As Well Dance

This was written by an 83 year old...The last line says it all.

Dear Bertha,
I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom.

I wear my good jacket to the market My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries..

I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary; if it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.

I'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted.

I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize, and mend fences for past squabbles, the reasons for which I have long forgotten.

I like to think they would have gone out together for a special dinner of whatever their favorite food was.

I'm guessing; I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited.. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write "one of these days." Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly LOVE them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.

And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God. It is after all "the PRESENT day."

Your dear friend,

Those of you who read Body Mind & Spirit in the ARDS website will have heard me expressing the sentiment that ‘time is precious.’ We do not realize just how precious it is until we run out of it. When we are in our early years: teens, twenties, thirties, we are less conscious about the passing of time, other than it being almost a necessary conduit for our development. We want to be a teenager with all of the peer ‘maturity’ it brings. Being twenty or more confers adulthood and a right of passage and anticipated acceptance by the adult world. Thirty comes with a bit of jolt and the first tiny feelings of ‘age’ and the passing of time. It is when we reach the ‘big 40’ that an understanding of entering the second half of our lives begins to sink into our unwilling sub-consciousness. “TIME” we begin to learn, is not replaceable for us as individuals. We receive an allotted amount and it is up to each and every one of us how we choose to live it.

As you read this, 2007 will be disappearing in your rear view mirror never to return again. Was it one of these years which would make you wish that you could pull a 180 and return to the scene? Or, as you reflect on the past year, is your foot pressing down harder on the gas pedal as you seek to thankfully leave it all behind and move on to places new? It is a question that only YOU can answer. If you chose to ponder the point then I would respectfully offer a suggestion or two that may assist your rumination.

• We can do many things in this age of technology and scientific advances however, try as we might, we cannot turn back the clock. What has happened stays happened.

• If our year has contained loss and or events that have caused grief, then moving forwards into the New Year will not unfortunately bring an instant change. The grief caused through losing a loved one is a process that must be worked through; it takes time….and it is different for everyone.

• If our year has been a very positive one for whatever reason, then we might reflect on what happened to make it that way AND LEARN FROM IT!

• If our year came and went with hopes and yearnings remaining unfulfilled (e.g. learning goals / personal fitness goals / employment status unchanged / spiritual development / relationship challenges / avoidance issues and so many more, then perhaps it is time to honestly REFLECT ON WHY, and then look towards how 2008 can be different.

(There is a bit of the New Year’s resolution thing expressed here, however what I am suggesting goes far deeper than that casual statement made in the midst of a fine wine or caffeine high.)

Where does this leave you or me? Asking yourself that question is the beginning of the process that will make the 6,324,480 minutes (527,040 hours….366 days {it is a Leap Year}) of 2008 become intentional in the way they are used.

Think of it this way: If you were fortunate enough to have $6,324,480 given to you on January 1st, 2008 knowing that it had to be spent by December 31st 2008, would you go to every sale that you could find and spend, spend, spend? Or would you take some time to PLAN how this once in a lifetime windfall might be used to better your life and the lives of your loved ones, as well as sharing the goodness with others who are less fortunate? I hope you would choose to PLAN before spending, understanding that this is a ‘once in a lifetime’ event, the effects of which MIGHT be felt beneficially for years to come.

The analogy is that the time of our lives is somewhat similar. The year 2008 stretching out before us will not happen again for anyone. We can chose to live it unintentionally (spend, spend, spend), letting each day slip unplanned/unnoticed into the next until it is gone, or we can decide to USE it to address some of the points I made in the four bulleted paragraphs.

Making and owning life goals need not and indeed should not be a chore. If they are, then they are unlikely to survive one month far less twelve or more. Understanding and buying into WHY we should have goals will make the prospect of success much more likely.

Living our lives with intention is, I would suggest, one of the foundation blocks of happiness. However, (why is it that there is often a ‘however’ to be considered?) however, as we are all too aware, stuff happens unexpectedly that can instantly change our plans. (ARDS is but one of many examples) We might find ourselves with a winning set of numbers in that 649 ticket; we might find the special partner we have been seeking for years; a new arrival may appear; unemployment or ill health may suddenly loom around the next corner of our lives; healing might bring new abilities…and so on. Life has its unexpected moments, but these should not be used as a reason to avoid doing what is logical.

As we turn over the 2007 page of our lives and move on to the next chapter, what will you be doing to make it one that will bring happiness and joy, both to yourself and also to those whom you call family and friends? What goals will you be seeking to accomplish in the coming 12 months? I can think of several in my own life that will benefit both me and my relationships with family, friends and community. If you feel that this is altogether too much for you to handle on your own then seek out someone or organization that can help. (Remember, the whole theory and structure of Weight Watchers is that you place yourself among people who have been trained to help you with a specific life issue in a way that is most likely to bring about success.)

2008 is the most amazing and ultimate gift of Grace if we choose to make it so.

A Blessed New Year to you all,

Pastor Ian.

"Choice, not chance, determines destiny."

Click here to read Body, Mind, & Spirit (Past Issues) by Pastor Ian

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