Thursday, June 11, 2009

Will You Dance With Me??


I read this on a fellow blogger's sight this morning. Either I'm quite emotional today, or it has struck a chord with me. So many times in my life, probably in a lot of our lives, we don't take the time for the people and the things that are the most important to us. Life does have a way of speeding along. Let's not let it pass us by while we're busy doing something else.
Let's all try to enjoy the dance, shall we?


READ THIS CLOSELY…. IT’S PRETTY ACCURATE..


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.

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 gas up 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 North 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 butterflys' 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.

‘Life may not be the party we hoped for . . .But while we are here we might as well dance’.

Shall we??

19 comments:

Jessica said...

I totally agree with this! It's SO easy to let things slide when we're too busy with things we "should" be doing. I really think it's important to make a conscious effort to make time for the things that make life worth living. I guilty sometimes to falling into my routine and not wanting to deviate from it. Granted, my routine does include time for stopping to smell the flowers, but sometimes it's important to branch out, even if it's not convenient at the time. Otherwise, there's so much we miss out on!

Anonymous said...

So, so true! Thanks for your post!

Maria said...

I've gotten that in an e-mail, it is so true & a great reminder to see it again

Kathleen Coy said...

Lovely!

greymare said...

Truer words have never been spoken. I regret not phoning or seeing my mom more and now that she is gone, it's too late. It's so easy to put the chores, errands etc. first. I love to travel so my husband and I are doing more travelling now. Keeping in touch with my sisters more too. After attending my sons grad from University this week, I realized all the people, things, places that I said I would visit I haven't so maybe its time. Thanks for the insight.

Gail said...

Words to live by!

Grey Horse Matters said...

Great sentiments and so true. We could all learn something from this.

Sherry Sikstrom said...

Well said , and timely ! I think you and I are kindred spirits ( I had a brownie today for breakfast ,just because I knew I shouldn't)
And yes my dear frind I will absolutely dance with you!

Reddunappy said...

Beautiful, life it different for me now, I have amost died twice. First time in 2002 when I was hit head on by a drunk driver, and again last year when I had brain tumor surgery. I took more time and spent more with my youngest this year in her WAHSET, I am glad I did we have some good memories! I seen my midde daughter married in Jan., I try to look at things differently and appreciate things more. Occasionaly I fall back in the rut, then something like this jars me out of it again.
Thanks

Jenn said...

I have read this before...and it rings true each and every time.

Thank you for the timely reminder!

Happy Trails!

Carolynn Anctil said...

I've read this on the e-mail circuit and still love it. Profound and wise. I'd like t think that I say "Yes" more often than I used to. Thanks for the reminder.

A friend of mine once told me a story about her sister and her sitting on the front step of their house as children. They were upset about something and had been crying. After a while, her sister turned to her and said "You cry now, I'm going to sing." That has stuck with me and when I repeat it out loud, it makes me smile and things don't seem so bad anymore.

*Hugs*

Fantastyk Voyager said...

I am a firm believer of "Living Your Dash". This is the time of your life between your birth date and your death date.

I rarely say no to opportunities and try to seek out new adventures daily. My poor house suffers from my lack of enthusiasm at home. lol.

Will I dance? Yes!
Now if only I could find a partner...

Lori Skoog said...

A very meaningful post. I looked back a few days at all the photos...great looking horses, amazing skies and that Iris on June 5th knocks me out. What a shot!
Has to be great having a friend around to do things with.

Melanie said...

Okay...now I feel really guilty for telling my kidlets that we could ride horses "tomorrow" instead of today...for no particular reason......

Thanks for posting this, as it is definitely inspirational. :)

Strawberry Lane said...

Great post ... it changed my day. Now I'm going to do a couple things that were on the list for tomorrow. Instead, I'm doing them now... like calling my sister. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

to paraphrase, life's a dance you learn as you go.. sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.. dont worry 'bout what you dont know.. life's a dance u learn as you go

virtual hugs
gp and the herd

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Thanks for sharing this. Sometimes things don't go as well when you follow your dreams and do something you've always wanted to do.

On that fateful Christmas Eve 2008, my heart yearned to finally ride my horse in the sparkling white snow under a bright blue sky. What started out as magical, turned tragic and has made me regret my decision to grab life by the horns and live life to the fullest.

I should have stayed home.

~Lisa

Anonymous said...

I lost your blog somewhere along the way and was just catching up. What a great post. I need to dance!

Joy and Phil said...

I believe it was Erma Bombeck who wrote those words and I have had them posted by my desk for years. Since we are living in our RV full time, I have them put away "somewhere" but plan to dig them out ASAP. Everyone should read them daily1

Joy