Maybe You Should Pick More Daisies
There is more to life than increasing its speed — Gandhi.
If I had my life to live over again, I’d dare to make more mistakes next time. I’d relax…I would eat more ice cream…I would try to have nothing else — just moments…instead of living so many years ahead of each day. — Nadine Stair
It’s a common sentiment. Things people say when they’ve reached their golden years or the end of their days due to an unexpected illness. I should have…I wish I would have…life goes so fast…
We’ve heard that we should stop and smell the flowers, take time to be present, and enjoy the little things in life because they are things that make up our lives.
I have finally stopped steamrolling ahead toward The Next Thing. I think middle age brings that wisdom and awareness but having been a tried and true perfectionist for so long I just wore myself out trying so hard. My body, my mind, and my soul were just plain tired.
There are two kinds of tired, I suppose. One is a dire need of sleep, the other is a dire need of peace. — Mandeq Ahmed
In the wake of losing a job that had left me no time to rest or reflect, I felt overwhelmed by the emotions and memories that flooded me. With time to think I looked back on the years. I had stopped writing — saving this pleasure for “someday”. I had been speeding through my children’s youth, pushing aside opportunities to be present with them for the endless pursuit of “catching up” at work.
And the seasons had passed. Oh, I’ve had my moments and we have wonderful family memories on the beach in Michigan and doing the little things that make memories…but, like Nadine, I could have had more.
The wake that regret leaves can drag you under if you don’t know how to swim for shore. Taking a deep breath and learning how to work with it will glean some important life lessons. I chose to listen to regret’s insight but not let it bully me — I do enough of that on my own!
Time has a funny way of showing us the things that matter and illuminating how these smell-the-flower cliches are not so trite after all. There is a lot of wisdom in simple admonishments to “take time to smell the flowers”.
The days are long but the years are short. — Gretchen Rubin
A hard truth that should be emblazoned upon every nursery wall. Sleepless nights and endless battles over uneaten peas can leave us so tightly wound that we forget these days are the substance of the life we want to love and live.
When asked to reflect on her life in her golden years, octogenarian, Nadine Stair said,
“I would travel lighter…I would take more chances…I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall…I would go to more dances…I would ride more merry-go-rounds…I would pick more daisies.”
I can’t think of a better goal right now for my life than to walk barefoot more than I do and to pick more daisies.
I recently mused about taking on a full-time job that would require the sacrifice of things I’ve come to cherish: slow mornings with meditation and healthy breakfasts, walks to the creek with my dog, time for writing, and a new hobby I am doing purely for the joy: watercolor painting.
When I weighed all I would give up against the small margin of income it would add, my heart already knew the answer: it’s just not worth it. Years ago, that would have been my dream job, but today I am able to walk away from it. I call that spiritual growth.
I must close now. The sun and breeze beckon me to add moments to my life. As Nadine Stair said, learning to live in nothing but moments — one after another — that’s living, is it not?
I know I’m not the only one yearning to slow down. Life runs by so quickly. I host a Facebook group for women who are ready to say no to stress and yes to less in order to have time for what matters. It’s free to join; we’d love to have you.
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