Life is Too Short
Bruce’s death taught me lot of things, the main thing being that life is too short. I use his death as an example because he was only 33 when he died. “The Sharp Knife of a Short Life” as the song says. Looking back, and seeing all the things I said to him and nagged at him about break my heart, because they don’t matter anymore. I hurt his feelings and made him mad over stupid, meaningless, pointless stuff, and then he was gone.
For a while I was so bitter, and so righteous and considered myself to be quite the expert on heartache and life in general. I would get so mad when I would see a couple argue. I just wanted to shake them and scream “One of you could be dead tomorrow!” People’s problems seemed so trivial to me, because I was such an expert on what a “real” problem was. At the same time, there were things I wouldn’t let go of because I couldn’t stand the thought of another “loss”. I put up with an extraordinary amount of crap because hey, life is too short. There does have to be a balance (and mine was way off.).
Don’t get me wrong…I still try to be the least dramatic person I possibly can (although I have my moments, and I’ve had A LOT of them lately). But I do feel like people (including my hypocritical self) miss out on a lot.
So, a few rules to live by since…life is too short:
Sometimes, if it isn’t a safety issue and isn’t going to hurt anything, it really is okay to just smile and nod, keep your opinions to yourself, even when you think someone has done or is about to do something stupid. Does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Is it worth losing a friend/family member? Do you enjoy being a buzzkill? Do you like seeing someone’s expression change from joy to defeat because you opened your mouth? If so, it’s gonna rock when they prove you wrong. You aren't going to win. You lose, no matter what the outcome is.
This one I learned from my boss, who raised 3 kids and now has a pile of grandkids: Yes, they are annoying, they are exhausting, and they are slightly psychotic, but don't break a little kid's spirit. Choose your battles. Let them make some of their own decisions and suffer from the consequences occasionally. Sit back now and then and watch them work through it. Well, unless it involves property damage or a potential visit to the E.R.
Stay here on earth...I have friends on Facebook whose statuses I have blocked because they are just constant, angry, opinionated political rants. So what is going on in your own life? How happy are your kids? How clean is your house? How neat is your checkbook? How much do you like your job? What is sitting in front of the computer and TV watching national and world news doing for your blood pressure? Is it going to change Obama? Is it going to help the economy? Shut up and go take your kids to the park.
Your kids are always going to be there. Your boyfriend may not be. 'Nuff said.
Just a few thoughts for you and reminders to myself. We are only a few seconds on this big ol' time clock called Life.
Amen!
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