The Ongoing Motion (“Live,” continued)

Living in this world is about recognizing that you get to move on. Even the worst of your times eventually come to an end, so make the most out of today.

Life is in ongoing motion. What bothers you today might not be an issue again tomorrow; you could have misunderstood, misinterpreted, or been plain wrong. Something you anticipated with dread might never have occurred, or your worst-case scenario wasn’t so bad after all. Over time, your wounds heal, pain goes away, and only good memories remain with us. Thank God – now start living.

Have you heard the phrase, “Life is not a destination but a journey?” Or, how about that common remark, “Live a little?” Being a woman who wants it all, I once looked at these words rather cynically. How can you enjoy the journey when there is so much more you still have to do? What joy is there when you are flat broke, your kid is in the middle of an asthma attack, and your personal life is nonexistent? When I began to familiarize myself with spiritual principles and the power of positive thinking in my 20s, I truly thought that there would come a day when the struggle was behind me.

In the early 90s, before I met my future first husband, I was living with my friend, a fellow German, Dagmar. One night we were having dinner in our two-bedroom house in Los Angeles. We’d been talking about personal development and how we’d been moving ahead on our respective paths. We both had issues with our parents that we had wanted to work through and release.

At one point in the conversation Dagmar turned to me and said: “You seem to think that all your issues will be over one day.” She turned out to be right.

At the time, though, I thought that if I could only get from point A to point B I would be fine. But what happened was that once I’d arrived at point B, another thing would come up that I had to deal with. Once again, I’d thought that getting to point B would allow me to finally enjoy my life. Yet something else kept coming up.

I have to tell you that I finally arrived at the conclusion that you will never be done. There is always something else to do; another thing to learn, even to conquer. You might as well begin to live a little today because, otherwise, you will spend your entire life waiting.

But what does that mean — to live a little? As with everything in my ideology, it’s yours to define. Perhaps taking time to “live a little” means watching your kid play soccer. It can mean going to a movie on a Sunday afternoon, rather than doing that last load of laundry. Make time for the little things. Paint your toenails and avoid doing the dishes for another twenty minutes. Take the five extra minutes to get ready for your day. It can make the difference between rushing and being comfortable.

Where in your life are you living a little, or where are you giving yourself permission to enjoy the day? Let me know – your thoughts help all of us. Thanks so much for sharing.