Life is short

I wanted to share an experience I had recently.

The family was doing the usual thing last Monday night. It was 7:45 PM and the kitchen needed to be cleaned, kids bathed, brushed, dressed and read. The coffee needed to be made, lunches for tomorrow and oh yeah, I've got to feed the dog (we have to mash her food up so she can get it down).

The phone rings and it is my wife's 84 year old grandmother. She practically raised my wife, so we all are very close. She is an amazing woman. She still works part-time at the local hospital gift shop. Anyway, she is moving and her neighbors just brought over a hot, freshly baked, homemade apple pie. It's apple county around here, so the pie included the freshest apples you can find. Well, of course I tell her it's late and we have so much to do and the kids have school so we can't come over. I thanked her and hung up the phone and went about my way.

Then I started to think and I found my wife and told her about the conversation and we talked about all the things that had to get done. And we all know what happens when the kids don't get enough sleep. Then we looked at each other and we said, "Life is short."

So we got back home and the kitchen was messy, the kids were dirty, no coffee or lunches were made and the dog was hungry. But we now have a memory that will live on forever. Hopefully one day our children will realize what happened that night.

My only regret is that I didn't stop at the store for a gallon of Breyer's vanilla ice cream.

So when life is going by you a hundred miles an hour, try to stop and think, "Life is short."

Comments

  • 11 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • You are soooo right, Stephen. There is more to life than increasing its speed.
  • Thank you for the post! We all need to be reminded at times of how short life really is and what in life REALLY matters.
  • YOU DRINK COFFEE AT 7:45PM?!?!?!?! Holy screamin' eagles. I'd be up for two days if I did that. That stupid observation aside, thank you for those words of wisdom.
  • I got stuck on the coffee at 7:45 pm too but then I thought maybe they get it ready for the morning?

    Life is indeed short, stop and smell the roses every chance you get you never know when it may be your last.
  • Judy's right. I make it for the morning. I love to wake up to hot coffee waiting for me.
  • I totally agree. In our house we have "Holly Hugs" for that exact reason. A friend lost her eight year old daughter right before Christmas last year to mennigitis. After the funeral was over she sent out an email to everyone reminding them to give their kids hugs everyday and then the "Holly Hugs" phrase was coined.

    In that same letter she explained that it was Holly's one wish to ride a horse and they kept telling her "maybe another time" oh how they wish they would have let her ride that horse. Everytime my daughter Emma really wants to do something I am reminded about Holly and if at all possible I break away and we do it!
  • I got stalled when you said 'the kids had to be brushed'. I think you mash up the kids food and brush the dog.
  • Sometimes that happens. It gets very chaotic around that time of the evening.

    The "brushed" referred to the kids hair. They have a lot of it and don't like it to be brushed. Maybe I should send them to the dog groomer.
  • This one really hit me hard. Life is short. My son, his best friend, son's girlfriend and her best friend and a two-year old were in a horrible accident a few weeks ago. My son watched his best friend die on the side of the road while his own (my son's) back was broken. Life is short. Ten minutes before the accident I had been laughing with the boys and making plans for yet another overnight for them the following evening. They were trying to get me to understand why some rock group was really worth listening to... They both kissed me and said, "love you, Mom" as they ran over to meet the two beautiful teenaged girls they were going to spend the evening with. Life is short - you ain't kiddin. Life is too damn short. I go into my son's unused bedroom and find clothes belonging to both of the boys in piles on the floor along with their sneakers and guitar strings and car magazines. I turn around and walk back out. Life is too freakin short, but it's going to get better.
  • Hit me too. Tuesday night one of our attorneys worked late, as he usually does on a quarterly basis when we have SEC reports due. He got home that night and his significant other, and roommate, passed away unexpectedly that night. We still don't know what happened, but many folks know and like him and she used to work here too. They are both in early to mid 40s. Much talk in the office about youth, shock, making wills and calling family members just to say we love them. A lull in productive work.
  • > It was 7:45 PM and the kitchen needed to
    >be cleaned, kids bathed, brushed, dressed and
    >read.

    Thanks for the reminder. However, I have been trying to "read" my boys for years and can't quite get a handle on what they are thinking!!!!!



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