We hear and say the expression that life is short, time is precious and enjoy life while you can but we don’t always follow those instructions…to be present in the moment or to appreciate life would mean to stop what we’re doing and slow down in order to smell the roses. I am sure that we are all aware that tomorrow isn’t promised and appreciating each day as if it was our last should be a priority. I was reminded of this a few days ago as my youngest daughter prepares to attend her first homecoming dance. The search for the homecoming dress is not always the easiest of task but after 4 hours, we accomplished our mission; however the dress would need a small alteration. We would visit the place that I have gone to for years. The owner is always professional, she smiles and we have our usual friendly conversation & interaction. She always supported me with my business cards or advertisements displayed in her shop. She recently opened her 3rd alteration and dry cleaning business several months ago, which I happened to witnessed as it’s next door to where I take my dog for grooming services. When I visited her store a few weeks ago and I didn’t see her, I assumed that she must have been at one of her other locations. However, it wasn’t normal for me to not see her again when I took my daughter’s dress in for alterations, so I asked the staff.…“which location is she at today?” And they told me…she died a few months ago.
As I stood in total shock, I felt as if someone punched me in the stomach. All I could do was cry and think about how proud she was for opening her 3rd location. It felt as if we were just giving one another high fives as we celebrated her accomplishment. However, that wasn’t the case…the reality was that a young 53 year old woman was here one day and gone the next. I am sure many of you had a similar experience or stories about people you’ve worked with or done business with who suddenly transitioned from life to death. The news of her passing caused me to have a deeper appreciation of my life, as well as for the life expressions we share with one another. Therefore, enjoy your life! Do what you love most and live life with the people you love most of all; those who who support you, those who make your heart smile and make you a better person. Don’t settle for anything less than living your best life because as I walked out of the alteration store with tears, the mere fact that I was with my daughter, holding her hand meant more to me at the moment than it did before. As we proceeded to look for shoes, I can tell you that I allowed myself to be present and truly appreciated the time we shared because it’s a fact…life is priceless & precious, and it’s important to live life with extreme gratitude because it definitely has an unknown expiration date with our names on it. Therefore, enjoy life and make sure the next time you see a rose, stop and smell it while you can!
Until The Next Blog,
Blessings & Love!