I just got home from the hospital yesterday. I have to pace myself carefully and that means focusing on what is truly most important and letting go of that which I can let go of.
While lying in the hospital doing my best to recover from pneumonia in one lung and a blood clot in the other, I had a lot of time to think. A deep awareness came to me that, in looking back over my life, it is the seemingly inconsequential and easily lost in the hectic pace of time and work, that are the highlights of my life. The moments and times which count the most are the ones that could have easily not have happened or noticed at the time. I think of all the special moments on vacations or trips to go fishing (even though I’m not really a fisherman), or camping (yes, I am a camper) or the moments with young people on the Appalachian Trail, or hiking with my old hiking pals, or being with my kids when they were little and I had no idea of how fast they would grow up…The memories are priceless. It’s been the “little things” that have made my life rich.
One example is when I used to joke that I was going to Canada to go fishing with my old friend Hal Rummel when in reality I wouldn’t drive 30 minutes to go fishing down the street. It wasn’t “fishing” that mattered, it was precious time with Hal. I’ll never forget how he laughed good naturedly when he forgot to tighten the outboard motor mounts to the back of the little fishing boat and the motor sank to the bottom of the lake. I would have been fuming and fussing like a sailor but there was Hal chuckling and saying, “Well now, how bout that”! Being with Hal on all those cool fishing trips and motorcycle journeys is just one small example of how I’ve been blessed to walk the trail with great friends.
Life’s precious moments come in the little, seemingly inconsequential times of life. We get old fast. Don’t miss those precious moments and what will be lifetime memories because you’re busy with spreadsheets and timecards at work.
In a related way, I’m sitting at my desk at home, looking out the window to my front porch. I see an amazing spider web that has been spun in the fake plant hanging on the porch. It’s a beautiful and amazing piece of nature’s miracles at work. It’s precise, it’s balanced, it’s intricate. Take time to see the seemingly inconsequential beauty of the world all around you. Open your eyes, take in the sights and sounds of the miracles of nature. Just as I take another look at the intricate, beautiful spider web, a little butterfly flies by. Wow! Take time to stop and not just smell the roses but see the spider webs too.
Believe me, when you look back, you’ll know what makes you rich! I sure do.