Life’s Too Short

How many times have we all heard this in our lifetimes?  The phrase is like a broken record – the perfect thing to say when justifying anything we do.  Go for it – Life is Too Short!  It works for me – it’s a phrase that I reiterate when I want to justify something I’m doing, especially when it is something that I really do not have time for. However, I don’t think I ever truly live by it.

I was at my nieces wedding a few weeks ago in New Hampshire, and I found myself looking around the room at all the young couples and wedding party guests, thinking – How did I get here?  Wasn’t that just me yesterday with babies, toddlers, worrying about buy a house, discussing play dates with my kids and dealing with all the issues of that age?  Didn’t I just get married and go to friends weddings and feel so lucky I was young and alive and had my whole life in front of me?   Am I actually 50 and having discussions that I heard my parents having…health…retirement….

This post makes me think of the quote by character Andy Bernard on the series finale of the office:

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

 That’s how I feel about “Life’s Too Short” in a nutshell – when I heard that quote I about jumped off the couch.  By the time you get the “Life’s Too Short” philosophy it is, in fact, too short.  Back when I was raising kids this fact could have come in handy. I was in the good old days and I was too busy to notice it.  As I age, I really get the importance of that comment.

I wish I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours” ~ Bernard Bereson

What to do about this?

• Enjoy yourself.  It’s later than you think.  ~Chinese Proverb
• Spend the afternoon.  You can’t take it with you.  ~Annie Dillard
• Be happy while you’re living, for you are a long time dead.  ~Scottish Proverb
• To change one’s life:  Start immediately.  Do it flamboyantly.  No exceptions.  ~William James