Little drops of water, little grains of sand, makes the mighty ocean and the pleasant land.  So the little moments, humble though they be, makes the mighty ages of eternity.  Little Things  Julia Carney 1823 - 1908

Life is Fleeting

With my youngest child starting college I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.  Why is life so short?  It seems to pass so quickly.  I feel like she was a tiny child only days ago and today she is a bright and beautiful young woman ready to take on the world!

As we put more and more into our lives they begin to speed up and this is a hurry scurry world where we are taking on so much.  I wouldn’t change that.  I love the challenges.  I love the change.  There are times though, that I wish I could just freeze life for a while and sit back and take it all in.

Here’s what I realized.  If life weren’t so short, if life weren’t going at such a pace, we would take it for granted!  If I could slow life down at any given moment would I appreciate each day as much?  No, I don’t think so.  Life is more precious because it’s fleeting. 

If people lived forever would we appreciate life the way we do?  If life was unending would we try to fill it with so much living?  We might say to ourselves “I’ll get around to writing that book when I am 150 years old.”  Or, “we don’t need to go and see the grandkids, we saw them just 10 years ago.”

Maybe that’s the point.  Maybe the shortness of this experience on earth is to make it sweeter.  When we know something is fleeting we rush to appreciate it, we exclaim to our loved ones “it’s an incredible sunset, come quick and see it before it goes away.”

That’s the way I feel about life!  Sometimes I want to yell to the sleeping masses “it’s an incredible life, come quick and see it before it goes away!”

Many times through talking with people who have lived through a near fatal illness or accident I learn that they have become closer to their families, become more compassionate and developed a new appreciation for life.  When we are possibly facing the end of our life, life becomes shorter and, for many, it becomes sweeter as it becomes even briefer.  We fully appreciate that which we fear we may not have in the next moment.

Don’t wait to appreciate it.  Live with passion.  Kiss someone just out of passion.  Watch the sunset just because it makes you feel great.  Live life with your arms and your heart wide open.  Truly, we never know if this moment is our last.  Life is fleeting but it is full.

Yes, I do believe there is a plan.  We are only given 1,440 minutes in each day and we never know how many days we will be given.  How very beautiful and exciting!  What will you be doing with your 1,440 minutes today?

I intend to spend a few of mine breathing deeply while I enjoy this very beautiful and fleeting life.    

To Your Continued Success,

Janice MadariagaJ