You know what’s crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy.™
Not realizing how good you have it.
I was grumbling today. I was a jerk today. I was mad at the world today.
I was mad at my boss. I was mad at my job. I was mad at my bank balance and the lousy peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my lunch bag.
I hated my car and the weeds in my flower bed. I was pissed at other commuters and that guy driving the semi truck who cut me off on purpose.
I was angry at my phone battery which dies too quickly. I was perturbed by the cold coffee in the break room. I was bothered by my computer which loses data whenever birds chirp outside the building.
Then I get the message from my dad.
It was solemn and poignant. It was to the point and brief.
There’s no easy way to say that someone has passed. You just have to say it.
And there it was.
Death. The finality of the end, the unknown, the great beyond.
A family member had gone to sleep and never woke up. The family member was sick and had been fading.
This is probably a blessing in disguise. The family member died peacefully after a debilitating disease.
As I drove in my car on that dark desolate road, I had plenty of time to think.
Life is too short. Life is a gift. Cherish each moment.
It’s easy to get caught up in the ticky tack who cares of the day. It’s easy to surround yourself with self absorption and myopic despair.
But on this night, on this dark and quiet night, I was suddenly awakened to the reality that every moment must be lived.
If someone gives you lemons, make lemonade they say.
It’s corny. It’s true.
As the striped lines on the road disappear under the car, one after another, after another, the brain has time to think.
If you haven’t told someone you loved them today, what the hell are you waiting for.
If you haven’t smiled or made someone else smile, then your day is not complete.
If you haven’t thanked God or Buddha or Allah or Jesus or the universe for your slice of today, then I suggest you get down on your knees and do it because once that door closes, it closes forever.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Live it. Love it. Appreciate it.
And that is crazy.