I'm a planner, a scheduler, a taskmaster. I work hard. I do it now, not later. In the same breath, I can tell you that I don't live to work. I've been planning for retirement since my 30's, which some say is even late. But I don't live for my retirement, either.
True, I can't always control my time. In fact, there are times when life throws me so many curves that I'm not sure I can keep up. Through it all, however, it's important that I remember the big picture. Tomorrow never comes, and past is past. It's about today. In the blink of an eye, my children are already in high school. The AARP mailings appear in my box almost daily. They are REALLY early, thank you very much, but the day is coming.
We often say to ourselves, "There isn't enough time in the day." But if we were given an eighth day of the week, how would we spend that time? Would we really take our dogs to the park, or read a few more chapters of the book gathering dust on the night table? Would we find ourselves at the gym? Would we finally throw a ball around with the kids? The fact is, it's essential that we fit those vital experiences into the actual seven days we are allotted, because the following seven days will be just as busy, and another week of our lives will be over.
At my father's big 80th birthday party, I asked him, "Dad, you are 80! How does it feel?" I will never forget his answer. "It went by like that."
So: I break out my mom's good china and napkin rings on a Tuesday. I don't know how many bouquets I've brought to my daughter after one of her recitals or musicals. My son's basketball games are on my calendar right there next to my meetings with clients. After a particularly grueling week I might still throw a little barbeque on Saturday for family and friends, even if I'm tired from a particularly challenging week at work.
Two years ago I was made aware that our last possible Spring break together as a family was coming up, because the children would soon be attending different schools, with different schedules. I think that my son, in 8th Grade at the time, noticed this fact and brought it up. We organized a skiing and snowboarding weekend. It wasn't easy to put that trip together, as teenagers' lives schedules seem to be even more packed then their parents', but it was a priority, because it was the last time.
Do it now. Life is short. These are the good ole' days. And thanks for the great advice, Dad.