by Annette Bridges. ©2010. All rights reserved.
I bought a Curly Girl Design® greeting card recently that sits on my desk. I can’t seem to part with it, although there are many friends and family members I can imagine giving it to. The phrase on its cover is one that I read every day. In fact, I usually read it several times a day: “One of the hardest things to realize,” the card’s character says, “is that someday is right now.”
Yesterday, my husband and I experienced one of our “someday” moments and went to a movie. I say “someday” because usually when we talk about wanting to go see a certain movie, we never end up going to see it. Interestingly enough, there was a statement in the movie about when people say “someday” as they speak of things they plan to do. One of the actors said “someday” is often another word for “never” –that people often speak of the things they will never do.
I don’t want this to be me!
I’ve been carrying around another quote from a Curly Girl Design® notepad page. It reads, “The world is full of people who will go their whole lives and not actually live one day. She [the character] did not intend on being one of them.”
This little piece of paper is tucked neatly away in my wallet so that I come across it frequently as a reminder.
I seem to be obsessed with these two quotes by Curly Girl Design® artist Leigh Standley. But it has occurred to me that perhaps I’m so focused on worrying about not reaching the full potential of my life, that I am not actually living each day of my life to its fullest.
I once said that I felt like I was living from one vacation to the next, and I seem to be guilty of this again.
That said, I’m not going to stop planning vacations – and as many as possible, too! But I do think I need to value each day in between and give more consideration to the possibilities that each day has to offer.
I remember being a starry-eyed teenager who spent many hours and days dreaming about someone, someday and somewhere. After I met my “someone,” another “someday” arrived a couple of years later when we had a baby. Before I knew it, many more “somedays” had come and gone – or maybe that’s what all empty-nesters say.
How can people go their whole lives and not actually “live” anyway? What does this mean? One dictionary defines “those who truly live” as those who “enjoy life to the full” – as those who “pursue a positive, satisfying existence.”
I think it’s possible to go through the motions of what’s expected or needed each day and not be fully engaged in each moment. And if we’re not fully engaged as active participants in the day, we are not being aware and appreciative of all there is to enjoy; thus, we’re not “living” the day.
It’s no wonder we can find ourselves dissatisfied with our lives. If we think that satisfaction or joy is dependent upon “someday” or “somewhere” in the future, we limit the satisfaction and joy we can experience right now. Indeed, it can become impossible for us to be satisfied and happy. This describes me lately.
I’ve been worrying that my life will reach its final chapter before all of my “somedays” come to fruition and all my “somewheres” have been visited.
I suspect I need to be more appreciative of what I have accomplished and experienced up to this point. I don’t think I have valued my life enough. Gratitude has a way of reminding us of all that’s good in our lives.
Because I’ve been concentrating on all the “somedays” and “somewheres” I’ve not seen yet, I’ve neglected to appreciate all the ones that I have seen.
Do you have a someday – or a someone or somewhere you’re looking forward to?
One thing is certain. If we look only to something in the future, we will miss something in our present. Don’t miss the joy of this day and every day. Life really is what we make it, so let’s make it the best one possible, one day at a time. We can make our someday right now!
To learn more about Curly Girl Design® and Leigh Standley, visit http://www.curlygirldesign.com