Let's Dance...


I'm swamped at work and getting ready for vaca....so for today, I'll share a inspiring poem that I received from a friend {hi p!} a couple weeks ago. It is super long but if you haven't read it before, it is worth the time....The card is an oldie but a goodie and totally "fits" for today:

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible. How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain.' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because we cram so much into our lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get the baby toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter,and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes,and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day , I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now ...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list . If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi?'

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift...Thrown away. . Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!'

Comments

Julia Aston said…
Great poem - one we should all take note of! love your card too - wonderful colors on it - have a super 'relaxing' vacation where ever you are off too and enjoy those kids!! My son is 30 now and thanfully lives nearby - but some days I wish he was 3 again with his sweet little face riding his little bike!
SmilynStef said…
Fabulous quote ... wonderful card.
Angie Tieman said…
Great card and great thoughts! Thanks for sharing them!
Are you trying to make me cry, girl? lol! Terrific card! Definitely food for thought. Something I needed today, as I pushed my little one off my lap as I am typing this. Off to go give him a big hug! ((hugs)) Jane
MEL said…
So pretty! I love the papers you selected to go together and the sentiment!
Susan said…
Thanks so much for sharing this, Amy. And I do my very best to live in the moment...my house is evidence of that, but you know what...there'll be more dust bunnies tomorrow. For today, I'm gonna think like a 13 yr old!

I love your card...your colors and a perfect way to spotlight that great sentiment. Have an awesome vacation!
Anonymous said…
Great poem and super nice card. So, you on vacation now?
Carolina said…
Wow, I'm printing this poem to reflect on it a little more...so much think about and through...thans for sharing it and your beautiful card!

Glad to read that you will be able to take that vacation after all. Hope you get some much needed rest and just have a wonderful time - Hugs!
Janine said…
Beautful card and poem!!
Have a great weekend.