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- DITTYs FROM DD: Live it Up!
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We grandmas know how quickly time flies. I came upon this email and thought I’d share with all of my O-MAMA friends. Enjoy and don’t be afraid to depart from your routine every now and then and let some joyful spontaneity win the day! “I got thinking one day about all those people 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?’ 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 to wash. My hair is dirty. And my personal favorite:’ It’s Monday.’ She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together. Because 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 little Steve toilet-trained. We’ll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We’ll go on a second honeymoon when we get out 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 settle 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 Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord. What a great way to go through life! Now…go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to do…not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call to make, whom would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here, we might as well dance!”
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GG52
We, whose nest is empty - know only too well how fast it goes. of course, you can't see that when the baby's crying, the doorbell is ringing, the dog is barking, supper is burning, and you have to go to the bathroom! But as a mother who was slow to get started - two miscarriages, one adoption, followed by two births, I can tell you this - Parenting is not just about the end result. Parenting is also about the journey. Maybe because I wanted them so badly I never wanted to say "I can't wait until...they sleep through the night (okay, maybe this one), sit up, walk, talk, are potty trained, go to school, drive, leave home. When asked what was my favorite age I always said "the age they are right now." Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that those who wish their childhood away are the one's saying "wish they'd come to see me, or have the kids called today?" Life is also to be lived and enjoyed in the moment. I'm so glad I realized that at the time.on 01/27/11Reply
