Will You Dance With Me?
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. (TY for sharing Marg.) A wee bit long but PROFOUND & worth the read.
I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?
How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gasp and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty.. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain.' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet... We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'
When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-Decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now..go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to.....not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?
Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butter fly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask ' How are you?' Do you hear the reply? ??? ???
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow..' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away...... Life is not a race Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.
Amen, live is to be lived. My girls are grown now, many times I was "running in circles" but I did slow down long enough to pick flowers, play in the snow, or shop til we dropped! And by the way, I can't imagine why that Name Test would say anything but glorious things about you!
ReplyDeleteI should always re-read my posts, that should be life!
ReplyDeleteNow that I am getting older I truly need to remind myself to get off the Merry-Go-Round and take time for myself.
ReplyDeleteLuLu♥
So important to remember...especially for me. Between working and being a mom to my little boys and being a wife, I just never take the time to slow down. Thank you, as usual, for this thoughtful post!
ReplyDeleteBTW, it's ME! Stop over at my new blog when you get a chance! Sorry I've been gone for so long.
okay, okay, I hear you!!! I know you wrote this just for me, right? You must know me very well! I promise to do my best to stop being so afraid that I won't get something done if I do something I just plain ol' want to do now! For one thing I need to get off the computer and go decide what exactly i'm going to sew next, which BTW is something I really do want to do, but just not right this minute. I would give anything if my mother had read this post before she wasn't able to do the things she wanted to do in her life. She spent her whole life taking care of everyone else and worrying that she or I or one of my siblings would hurt someone else's feelings and not enough time just doing what she wanted to do. All she ever really wanted in life was a little house that she could call her own.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I guess you can tell that you really hit a nerve with me and turned on the thoughts that have been holed up in my brain. It seems they are just flowing out of my fingers as I type this! Okay, now I'll stop!
Very thought provoking. This needs to be reposted and reread often.
ReplyDeleteHugs - Marie
Hi Marydon, how true all that is, and this is now how I live my life, with my husband who is of the same mind and we enjoy every day and will continue to do so until we fall of our perch. My friend Kathleen is just the same and we have some great days out when we should be washing or ironing or gardening or etc,etc, just enjoy every day life is very sweet.
ReplyDeleteLove Jillxx
What a WONDERFUL POST Sweet Marydon! Goodness Gracious Alive..how many times have I experienced almost everything you mentioned. And I loved how you put "hearing the music before the song is over". So well put!
ReplyDeleteHope you now have AC again. So sorry to have learned it went on the blink. Mine went out last year and I had been babying it along..calling techs to pamper and repair..And THEN FINALLY the old gal said she'd had enough.
Yep..had to bite the bullet and purchase an entire new unit. While we were at it, had new duct work installed so the new system wouldn't have to work so hard.
So I can remember the two days last summer when the Georgia Heat Forced Me to lose my religion. I've been thanking Jesus for this new AC ever since. Let's just hope He's forgiven me for my temporary lack of humility. :)
Thanks for your sweet visits to my place. I enjoy hearing from you more than you may know.
Blessings, Love & Friendship,
Terri
Wow, profound for sure. That reallly hit home. I think it did for all of us. That was great and thank you for sharing it with us. Gives us all something to think hard about.
ReplyDeleteHave a good day friend!
Nancy
A great post and so true. Thank you for reminding me. Gerry
ReplyDeleteSo true. One year, my g-ma, aunt and cousin all had heart attacks within a few months of each other. I decided to 'get over it', put my big girl panties on and enjoy life more. It's been a bit harder to convince my husband who thinks hte party starts in heaven and can wait until he gets there to live. I need adventure now! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, I needed to hear that, all of it. In fact, I'll read it again.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless
Marcie
O.k. I am soaking in that reminder.
ReplyDeleteThank You.
Becky K
So true. Too often we put off the things that are really important to our happiness and fulfillment, only to fill our time with minutia.
ReplyDeleteLove the moving reflection photo at the beginning of the post.
Marydon, that was the best post! I have thought about this myself. My sister is always promising to come over and do lunch, we have yet to do it. She is so engrossed in her job, that all the fun is slipping by.
ReplyDeleteThe other examples are so true. I want to live my life as full as I can. Travel is something I want to do, but unfortunately the finances are not there. But there are other ways to fill my days.
Marydon, I am with you on this. Sometimes I am a bit spontaneous, take a risk, have an ice cream cone, visit a lonely person. Yes, yes, yes. That was a great picture you paint of someone not having dessert on the Titanic, and then it sinks. Someone I love says she will visit me when she retires in 5 years; the universe says "visit sooner" and I agree.
ReplyDeleteAMEN Girlfriend! We had one of those glorious days, today. I was scheduled to get away with a good friend who recently beat breast cancer. I was going to her pool with her. Doug was NOT in the plans. At the last minute he said, "Do you care if I go?" Of course we didn't care...we had an awesome day...the three of us....and who knows what tomorrow will bring....life is TOO short.
ReplyDeleteBig hugs, lots of love, and prayers,
andrea
Marydon,
ReplyDeleteI think this post is awesome and should be spread worldwide...wouldn't that be something if everyone just did the right thing at once....and maybe liked it so much that they would continue...one ripple and the world could ALL dance together!!
I will Dance with you Marydon!!
Love,
Susan
Amen to that!
ReplyDeleteWords of wisdom from mt wise friend.
How'd you get so smart girl?
Have a great week Marydon...
Smell every flower and enjoy every minute!
xoxo~Kathy @
Sweet Up-North Mornings...
Good reminders, Marydon! Thank you. :D
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts. One should not take license to be completely reckless, but one should live in the moment, for we never know how many moments we have left. I think I'll have some ice cream!
ReplyDeleteWonderful and so right.
ReplyDeleteLoved seeing you yesterday, let's do it again soon!
Marydon, I had 3 days of posts to catch up on your site and enjoyed every minute of it! Wonderful posts. Thanks for your visit and comments, you are very dear to me! hugs, Kerrie
ReplyDeleteWhat a very thoughtful post, Marydon, very reflective for me, thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Sue
You know, you can never write those lessons enough or read those words enough in this life!
ReplyDeleteHello Marydon,
ReplyDeleteI love every word in this post! I am a 16 year cancer survivor and I live life to the fullest the best I can, but your words and wisdom make me want to try even harder. Sometimes I sweat the small stuff, get cranky over insignificant things...I try not to and as I get older it does get easier. I just do not want to waste a minute of this life on nonsense. I'm going to spend a lot of time with my parents this summer and enjoy each memory we make. I hope you and Harold are having a great Summer. I also read your post below and congrats on your magazine feature!!!
Have a lovely evening
xoxo
bunny
ps, I don't have Sherry's address?? If you have a chance can you email it to me I would love to send her a gift. Thanks
OOOps...I see both comments posted
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by...and thanks for the prayers!!
ReplyDeleteHi Sweetie, Have I told you lately how much I adore you? You always make me feel so good. This post is profound and I should read it daily.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited about you being featured in Porch. Wonderful...now I better order a copy.
hugs
I've read this before and it always makes me a bit sad :-( Some people miss so much in life. It's good to have this in print as a reminder to be flexible, take time to smell the roses!
ReplyDeleteLove the music!
Katherine
What a lovely post....
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post Marydon. Good for you for eating that ice cream! My downfall would be any kind of pastry. I am so sorry you never got to have that lunch with your sister. It is sad we sometimes let life "stuff" get in the way of time spent with our loved ones.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tip about the paint, I will definitely give it a try.
Have a beautiful day tomorrow!
EEEK! Profound! Wowzers. This sure does make you think about life, huh?
ReplyDeletexo Rebecca
Great post, Marydon. We are a "plan and organized" society--aren't we? Why can't we all be more flexible? Some of the most fun I've ever had is when George and I wake up in the morning and one of us says, "Let's do something different today. Let's jump in the car and go and see that new waterfall." Those unplanned times are usually the BEST--since we haven't organized and scheduled ourselves to death!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd about that ice cream, I love it too... I haven't given up on eating it sometimes --although it sticks to me like glue!!!! ha.....
Let's all relax, be flexible and enjoy every minute.
Hugs,
Betsy
HI Marydon!!!!
ReplyDeleteI used to be the girl who had a list of excuses, well not all the time jsut some times and then one day I decided I was NOT going to miss out any more, and now if I am cooking dinner and someone calls and says let's go out to eat, I am saying let's go!!!!!
Life is short, make the best of it!!!!Do not sell your self short and miss out, life is full of fun if you make it fun!!!!
Smile and Make a new friend everyday!!!!That is what I say, or you short changed yourself the chance to meet some one spectacular!!!!
hugs,
jamie
This is absolutely something that people should slow down and read. This is so true as I find time is going by so fast in recent years. Once my kids hit 10 it seemed to just speed up. I make sure that when my kids come to talk to me, I put down whatever I am doing to listen. At 20 and 23 I am pleased that they still seek me out and if I don't pay attention they could just as easily NOT seek me out to talk to.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful Post Marydon! Hope all is well with you and your family, and have a happy and safe July 4th!
ReplyDeleteSparkly Hugs,
Tobi and the Pixies!