What October Taught Me.

Life is short, live it well. A very good friend of my family passed away last week suddenly and very unexpected. It was obvious at her memorial service last night that she had touched so many peoples’ lives. She lived life well. When we were leaving, my friend said, “It just challenges me to do better. She did so good.” 

It’s one thing to talk about how short life is and how we need to live it to the fullest when we’re talking about going on vacation or going out on a Friday. But it’s another thing to really, really think about it. Life is short. Every single day counts. Live those days well. 

It just doesn’t get as important as the people you love. You can’t beat time spent with friends and family. I think we get in our head that there is a certain level of importance…our job is high up there, our success, our to-do lists. But in what world does having a clean kitchen rank as more important than making memories with our loved ones? 

When your family truly needs you, drop your busywork and be there for them. When your friends want to come over for dinner, don’t worry about your sticky floors and piles of laundry. Have dinner anyway. When you get a day off and you could either catch up on your to-do list or go to a pumpkin patch, my goodness…go to the pumpkin patch. 

You can’t make more time, but you can make the most of the time that you have. You would think I would be a pro at this by now, but nope, still learning it daily. I don’t get as much time with Christopher as I would like. It’s not complaining, it’s just a fact. Residency is a time-killer.  But. I do get some time. 

Sometimes taking advantage of that looks like planning a little day trip, and sometimes it looks like binge-watching our favorite shows on the couch all day. Either way…Whether you’re working way more than you want, or you have the exact opposite schedule as your friends, or you’re drowning in homework…we all get some time. It’s up to us to make the most of it. 

What has October taught you?