In my mind I’m still in my 20s. My body, however, disagrees with my mind. I’m no longer a spring chicken setting out to conquer the world. I still want to conquer it, but I’ve also gained a healthy dose of reality. That reality has come with age and experience. Not just my own, but that of those around me, too. And it has taught me to appreciate every day to its fullest.
No one is guaranteed tomorrow. I learned that lesson well when both my husband and I had health scares in our 30s. But we seemed to be an anomaly. While I gained a healthier appreciation of life, I still didn’t appreciate every day to its fullest. I looked at our scares as blips in our lives. Something we had to overcome, but would pass into a memory.
Ten years later, I have finally learned to celebrate each day. To make each count. Why? Because what I considered to be a blip in my 30s became more of a reality as I – and my friends – got older. Aging – physically – is inevitable. No one escapes it. And we don’t know what lurks in our bodies and within our genes. That has only become more apparent as friends and family have gotten hit with minor – and some not so minor – medical problems. And this, more than anything, reminds me that I must appreciate each day.
We need to remember the people who mean the most to us – each and every day. We need to do the things we love to do. And, most of all, we need to appreciate each day and live it to its fullest.
