Just last week, I celebrated my 38th birthday. That is 13,870 days of life, I broke it down into days because I just recently heard on a podcast that the average U.S. woman lives to be about 81 years old. So that means I have about 15,695 days left to live and that’s if I make it to see my 81st birthday. I know that sounds like a morbid way to start this blog but what I am trying to do is give you perspective.
Time is so precious, I read this quote the other day…”The only real luxury in life is time”, it made me stop and think about my father. He passed away over ten years ago suddenly. His organs failed him after years of drinking and not taking care of his diabetes. I had experienced death three times before but his death was different. I think about his life all the time…all of his goals he didn’t achieve, the things he never saw, the grandchildren he never met and how his life ended so abruptly.
As I watched my father lose his life, I remember the last time we spoke. He regretted not spending time with us, he apologized for not being the father we needed, he told me not to chase the dollar because in the end, it didn’t have much worth and encouraged me to see the world. There was so much said in so little words but I always think back to his advice.
Last week, I was putting together a cute little collage for my friend. She and I share the same birthday month. As I scrolled through my library of pictures and videos, I was filled with joy of all the things I had already accomplished in my life.
Now I am not some award winning actor or some NY Times Best Seller, nor have I ever graced the covers of magazines but I have lived a life full of magical moments.
There was a time in my life where I let my inner demons get the best of me. I would also let the haters, the naysayers and the soul crushers put me down and keep me down. During those tough years, I learned a lot about myself but it still sucks to calculate how many precious days, weeks and even years were wasted during those rough times.
Looking back to the years before my father’s unexpected death, I was so self involved with my life. Every week, like clockwork my father tried to get me to come visit him and have Sunday dinners. I would turn him down every week because I believed my social life was more important. And truly because I thought
I had plenty of time. Don’t we all?
Time ticks on for everyone. It doesn’t stop because you want a do-over. You can’t press rewind, pause or try to buy more of it. Time just keeps ticking on.
In all my years of life, I have been broke and I have had enough, I have had no job and I have had the best job, I have lost friends and I have gained friends, I have been ill and I have been healthy, things have come into my life and left but one thing's for sure, time just continues to tick on regardless of what is going on in your life.
My whole point is, are you using your time wisely? Are you loving every moment?
Are you trying to create memories with the people you love?
You see my father did his best to make money to keep our family floating above water. He spent countless hours at work but not enough hours at home. On his last day, my father had a single $20 dollar bill in his wallet. But where he went, he did not need that twenty dollar bill.
Time is priceless and we can never gain it back. We shouldn’t wait till tomorrow to start enjoying it. People always seem to be waiting for the “right” time to arise to enjoy life. I am here to tell you, time is ticking. Your days are slowly fading away.
Don’t wait anymore. Do what you love. Do what makes you laugh. Enjoy life and love your loved ones fiercely. We should be doing everything in our power to enjoy each and every day, which is what I plan on doing for the next 15,695 days of my life.
