Reflection

Well December 21, 2012 came and the world is still intact. I think if we were truly honest with ourselves we would admit to having a bit of a “what if this is true” feeling. Maybe some of us even said an extra prayer or a first prayer that we would still be here to see our loved ones the next day. I am sure it was a time of reflection for some of us. Were we satisfied with our lives to this point? Did we have any regrets? Did we tell the people in our lives how important they are to us? Maybe some of us said, “If the world is still here, I swear I’m going to_____.” A month has now passed. Have we followed through with any of the promises we made to ourselves?

We all have life’s “to-do” lists. You know the things we want to accomplish during our lifetime. Some lists are longer than others but how many of us attend to our list. The Thelma Bob group were 40+ years before we took an honest step forward to achieving any of our “items” (this blog for example). Why do we hesitate? I realize that finances play a factor as well as health but what about those items that don’t require a lot what I mean by passionate is where are our priorities in our lives. These priorities need to take precedence. The may mean we have to adjust our list. Some may say that “you’re just being a coward” but I say that you are being realistic. However, I also think one must be realistic with one’s list. Make a balance of real goals and more challenging goals. A real goal could be letting people in our life know how important they are to us. Pick a day or a week where you will communicate through various mediums a message of “thanks for being there for me” to all your family and friends. Take a moment to think about subtle changes we can make to improve our quality of life or even the world. Use stairs instead of elevators even if we just get off a floor before. Put litter in its place to keep the earth clean. These are just a few examples of things that don’t take much time or money to accomplish and we would be the better for it. It would be advantageous to get to know the current issues in our community and the world. We could listen to the news, radio or read newspaper, or go online. We can discover new interests and perhaps end up discovering ourselves.

December 21, 2012 did pass us without our world collapsing; but it doesn’t mean we can neglect our “to-do” list. We need to treat everyday like it is our possible last. We need to nourish ourselves with love and knowledge. Live with no regrets!

Have a great and adventurous New Year!

Melissa Richardson-contributor