Friday
evening my friend Lisa was visiting, and we decided to take advantage of the
beautiful evening by walking along the marina looking at the boats. As we strolled, enjoying the light of the
setting sun turning the water to gold, we came to a neat and trim sailboat
where a large, fluffy cat stretched, surveying his kingdom with sky-blue
eyes. We stopped to talk to the owners
of the beautiful cat, who were relaxing on their boat with cocktails in
hand. They were a very friendly couple
who told us they live in Florida, but had spent the last five months traveling
on their sailboat with Clyde, the cat. The
man explained that his wife, an attractive and fit 60 year old woman, had had a
stroke, and that after that, they both had a different perspective on life. They decided to take some time off to enjoy
life and do things they wanted to do.
Thankfully the woman was doing very well, and it was clear that she had
a positive attitude. I shared that I was
completing treatment for breast cancer, and we agreed that being confronted
with a serious health issue changes the way you see things. Life is too short not to savor each
moment.
Friday
happened to be my 46th birthday, and as I stood talking to this
couple, I was reminded again how precious life is and how important it is not
to take it for granted. Too often we
race through the days, thinking about the next thing on our to-do list, worried
and stressed about things that, in the grand scheme of things, really shouldn’t
rate so much of our time. We fail to
stop and appreciate the gifts in our lives.
As
I enter my 47th year, I have a renewed appreciation for the gift of
life and the people who make it special.
My hope is that I can live each day with thankfulness that doesn’t fade,
but deepens with each passing year.
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