Take The Time

Rush, rush, rush, hurry, hurry, hurry, check your watch, check your schedule, and worry, worry, worry! Gulp down your coffee, wolf down your breakfast, and head out the door! Think of the thousand things you have to do today and forget about your joy!

If any of you see yourself in those words then you have my sympathy. That was the way I lived for far too many days in my life. My eyes were always on what I had to do. My thoughts were always on not having enough time to do it. My feelings were always set on stress, fear, and frustration. At the time I thought I was living my life, but in truth there was very little living in all of that activity.

Finally there came a point one day when I decided that it didn’t matter if I got everything done or not. I realized that most of those things I had been striving to do didn’t add one moment of happiness to my life. Instead they ate up my days and squeezed out moments I could have spent loving others. They left no time for prayer, no time for appreciation, no time for simple pleasures or heartfelt joys. It was then that I ripped up my schedule and tossed it in the trash.

I remember that first day without it. I enjoyed my breakfast for the first time in months. I actually noticed the birds flying across the sky. I stopped my car, got out, and walked over to a Cherry tree to smell the blossoms on it. Instead of rushing my children home from school I took them to the park and let them run and play. I stayed outside longer than usual when I walked my dogs in the evening. I watched the sunset and let the warm Spring breeze kiss my face. I thanked God for my life, felt love in my heart, and had more joy that day than I could ever remember. And the funny thing was I still got everything done that I needed to do.

Life isn’t some endless list of chores. Life is instead a chance to learn, grow, and love. Take the time to love then. Take the time to sing, smile, and have joy. Take the time to taste your meals, smell the flowers, and watch the sunrise in the morning. Take the time to hug your children, laugh with your friends, and help others in need. Take the time to do a good deed and share a kind word. Take the time to pray to God, to invite His love into your soul, and to share it with everyone around you. Take the time to become the best possible you, you can be. The wonderful writer and educator Leo Buscaglia once said: "Life is God’s gift to you. How you live it is your gift to God." Take the time to live it well.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~

You can get Joseph Mazzella's book, "WALKING THE PATH OF LOVE," at www.amazon.com

[ by: Joseph J. Mazzella Copyright © 2012 (joecool@wirefire.com) - {used with permission} ]