MEASURE LIFE BY MOMENTS THAT TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY

 

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Last night my youngest daughter nudged me to go out to the patio, sit there and savor my warm cup of chamomile tea, enjoy the early evening with my dog Maxie. So I pulled out the monobloc (that's what we call a two-sitter plastic chair), placed a sheet over it and ordered Maxie to get on it with an 'Up, girl!'.... and she did. Then we sat side by side on the monobloc with Maxie sending out an audible sigh of contentment as she settled in. This chair has been with us for years now, old and worn, but still in one piece doing its job well in providing us and our pet dogs rest and comfort. Has undergone a repaint job before but now looks like it needs another one and soon. Sometimes old things are a comfort to keep.
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A slight evening breeze blew... so refreshing to the senses. Looked up to the evening skies and saw a solitary star shining brightly. I guess the others would be coming out soon. Just one star but it was enough to make me smile. Similarly, imagine what a single good thought or deed can do to someone, near or far.
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Another year is unfolding in our lives. Should we be counting years? Again? Nope, not anymore. Yes, we used to do that with our old selves. I think we have gained wisdom through the years to learn to shed all that. Change.
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This time we will be doing it differently. We will be counting moments. Precious moments which take our breath away.
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Like last night.

AT SEVENTY -- MADE ME THINK

 

70. Seventy. What does that mean to me? Plenty. Have celebrated my seventieth birthday two days ago with my daughters springing a surprise party. Indeed a huge surprise because I wasn't expecting one But there it was... and another gold nugget added to my treasure chest of golden memories.

Made me think.....

The past is no longer useful to me. It's done its work in my life. Mistakes made. Lessons learned. With that there no longer lies a reason to hold on to what was or what had been. Even those wonderful times that filled my cup full and even took it running over the brim. It had made its mark on me, left its imprints on my mind, heart, and body. I am its creation.

The future holds no more promises. Well, not the kind when I was 20 or 24. It's more settled and defined now. The landscape, blurry and fussy before, is much clearer as I view it with eyes wide open. I can see both the forest and the trees. I can see the journey and the road.

But.. the present. This is where life is!

The present moment allows you to be who you are... pulsatingly alive in mind and heart. Perhaps the body will, too, but understandingly will be forgiven if unable to catch up.

One may chase rainbows and moonbeams in his mind and 'catch a falling star and put it in your pocket'.. (as an old song goes).. 'and never let it fade away'. One may gallop down the full spectrum of emotions... happy, ecstatic, sad, lonely, angry, morose, or just down right silly. Who cares?!! It's life! One is given just that moment to live it. So live it!

This is where I am me now. No more 'I-should-do-this-because' ...or... 'what-would-they-think-if-I-did'. This is where I connect deeply with the wind in my hair, the sun in my face, the wild chirping of birds in my ear, the enjoyment of gazing at starry nights, watching flowers a-bloom down the meadows bathed in color and beauty. Savoring. Relishing. Enjoying. Liking. Faltering and stumbling but Loving it all just the same!!

What a lovely place, time, and moment to be! Thank God for 70!
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CARPE DIEM -- Seize the day

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-- Haven't written anything for a week now. Well, the nudge wasn't strong enough to make me want to write something or anything. Instead I got busy with each day that came to me. And you know what... it felt good. Being busy with..... Carpe Diem. Carpe diem in simple language means 'seize the day'.
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I got acquainted with that word in the movie 'Dead Poet's Society' which starred Robin Williams. That was years ago and to this day it is still on my list of great movies.
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Carpe Diem. But if you expect it to be doing grand or grander things every time to make the day special, far from it because life doesn't always happen that way. Yet you can make the ordinary mundane things of life special..... very special. Oh sure, at this age and point in time and having traveled far down life's beaten path you could easily say 'been there-done that'. You pride yourself then in knowing so much about places... people... life... living. Well, I remember this from long ago when Mom said to me ----- "Honey, to know everything in the world will take you more than just a lifetime." ..and.. "People don't live long enough to do that", she added with a wide grin. "Don't even try to squeeze it all into this lifetime. What you can do is to make each day that comes to you ...special. Seize the moments."  Carpe Diem.
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A friend loves saying this to me with smug confidence 'Been there-done that.' -- So then does that mean that when you've 'been-there-done-that' then nothing else is left to do or see or discover? That nothing will more or less surprise you.... amaze you..... astound you.... thrill you... mystify you?? That nothing else matters anymore because you've seen them all, know them all, done them all. Really?
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Last night I was on a dinner date with my family at this fine restaurant down Ortigas in the vicinity of the Marco Polo Hotel. You would think that all these many years with my family that this occasion would no longer exude that same excitement felt on the past many dates spent with them. Quite the contrary. You see, the magic is still there as I watch my children and wonder greatly amazed at 'how they have all grown' and at how life has taught them well. 

My thoughts now at 70 are far different than when I was 20 or 30 and admittedly have lost quite a few. But with great joy and humility I give thanks to the One above because the magic's there ... still there Life is beautiful. And always will be..
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Carpe Diem. And the picture below (one taken after quite a long while; courtesy of my eldest daughter) will tell you ... this is me -- your ordinary human being but happy with my day. Big thanks to Someone up there.
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Wishing you all great blessings from the loving heart of God.

THE 'DONE IT' LIST

We have created so many different kinds of lists for every plausible activity in our small mundane lives. There’s the to-do list, priority list, shopping list, friends list, grocery list, Christmas list, appointments list, book list, popular song list, best dressed list, worst dressed list, or the top ten Hollywood hunks list (hmmm, I’d like to see this one! Lols).

But I haven’t seen anyone do this list --- the “DONE IT” list. Well, have you or anyone you know ever done a list of that kind? Or maybe they have but given a different name.

So what’s in a “Done It” list? If a “To-do” list holds goals, hopes, plans, wishes, and dreams aimed for… the “Done It” list records ‘been there – done that’ moments, eureka moments, and victories. When a ‘To-do’ list is all about work, the ‘done it’ list is its celebration and reward. The former could bring in tension and anxiety, but the latter will bring in joy, happiness, and gratefulness.

Jill is a good friend of mine and here’s what she sent me. A partial list because to quote her ‘everyday I get more and more added to the list and each time it simply doubles up my pleasure’. Unquote.

My Done-It List

-Took driving lessons two weeks ago (Whew!)
-Drove to work and back by myself last Monday (Hurray!)
-Bungee jumped for the very first time last summer (Exhilarating!)
-Danced boogie-woogie in my super high-heeled shoes (Owee feeling sexy!)
-Got on a sailboat for my first sailing in Boracay (Felt good!)
-Led a team of four in a major sales presentation to stockholders and was commended for a good job (Yippee!)
-Parted with a favorite bracelet which reminded me of a bad relationship (Good riddance!)
-Finally read and finished the book that was sleeping under my pillow for weeks and weeks (That WAS a good book; why didn’t I do it sooner?!)

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There you go, Jill and her ‘Done It’ list.
What about you, what’s on your ‘Done It’ list?

FILL LIFE WITH MOMENTS

A wonderful gentleman and friend Parthasarathi sent me this in email recently -- "Life never seems to be the way we want it, But we have to live it the best way we can. There is no perfect life, But we can always fill it with perfect Moments..." Thanks, Parth. -- Lovely, isn't it? And I particularly loved this line.... 'There is no perfect life, But we can always fill it with perfect Moments...'

That seemed to be my guiding principle when I started in retirement. When one comes to a close in one chapter of one's life (one of several chapters, of course), he has then to change gear and move in another direction to fill in the void created. Because there is a lingering void or a brief spell between chapters of life. It's like a landing on a long flight of stairs wherein one is given the chance to catch his breath and energize for the next flight up that stair.

I took that chance to rethink my directions in moving forward. The plans I had before seemed insufficient now and irrelevant with some things taken away and some more added which I didn't plan for. This made me think how fragile life can truly be. So I decided to scratch off 'forever' from my dictionary and resolved to live in -- moments.

Moments cannot be bought or bargained for, I thought then that I will and should create my own. But it turned out that I was going to be blessed far more that I expected wished or prayed for!

MOMENTS.....

-when my youngest daughter surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers on Mother's Day

-when my second daughter gave me a surprise treat on my birthday by taking me to lunch in Tagaytay City overlooking the magnificent Taal Volcano

-when my eldest daughter gave me a fantastic massage on my back which pain made my day grumpy

-when my pet dog came to me as I sat on the sofa watching TV and lovingly nestled her head close at my side

-when the soya vendor with a warm smile added two free packs to the ones I bought

-when I watched the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen

-when I heard a tiny bird somewhere up the treetops singing his tiny song and a gentle breeze nudged the leaves to a dance

.....and zillions more through the years!

What I'm trying to say is --- FILL LIFE WITH MOMENTS, PERFECT OR IMPERFECT; THAT DOESN'T MATTER. WHEN IT MAKES YOU SMILE... THAT IS PERFECT.