LIFE IS SHORT AND PRECIOUS

Several things have happened lately that have really demonstrated how short life is and how truly precious it is.

Some people may know that back in May my father died unexpectedly.  He was out mowing the lawn and collapsed.  The paramedics and medical examiner determined that he had a massive heart attack.   He was just 64 years old.  He wasn't even old enough to get social security.  He also wasn't able to enjoy any of his retirement because he and my mother struggled financially.  As a result of his passing I'm currently taking care of my mother until we figure out what the next step is for her.

My mother and father were married 41 years and spent everyday together. They went everywhere and did everything together.  Now that my dad is gone, I know that my mom doesn't really know what to do with herself.  I'm not sure even knows what she wants to do moving forward.

When my dad died, not only did his life get cut short, but my mom's life was turned upside down. She keeps talking about all the things that she and my dad wanted to do, looked forward to doing, or hoped they would be able to do one day.

Another example happened while I was on a date recently.  I explained to him that my dad recently passed away and that I was taking care of my mother while we figure out what to do next.  He explained that he also was taking care of his mother.  However, she was battling cancer and was staying with him while she was getting treatment at MD Anderson.  It's early in her treatment process, so who knows what will happen in the coming weeks and months, but it was something that weighed heavy on him.  She also is pretty young. I believe she's 66 and from what my date mentioned, a lot of his family members have passed early in life or have had cancer at a young age.

My last example is something that just happened today.  I had logged onto my Bumble app and a guys' profile pops up.  I was going through his pictures and noticed that in some of them he appeared to be rather skinny and gaunt.  When I got to the his profile description he mentioned that he was battling stage 4 cancer and was currently undergoing chemo.  My mouth dropped.  I went on to read him say that he wants whoever he dates to know that he may not be around in 2-5 years.  My eyes just welled up with tears.  Here was a guy the same age as me that was hoping to find love just like me.  Yet, he was dealt a terrible hand and was battling for his life.

I just sat there and cried, thinking about life and the things that I worry about.  How the things that have kept me up at night, whether it's a guy that doesn't want to date me or finding enough money to pay all my bills were all so trivial in comparison to what he was dealing with currently.  I then wondered if he felt alone and sad because he was going through the biggest battle of his life and was possibly doing it all alone without anyone to help.  I also wondered why he decided to get on Bumble.  Did he put off getting into a relationship until it was the perfect time for him, but then this happened and he realized he didn't have time to waste anymore?

Our time on earth is so short.  Are you making the most of it?  Are there things that you want to do, but are putting off until it's a perfect time?  There are things that will happen when it happens, but there are things that we ignore and put off until we think the timing is right for us.



Be thankful for your health.  Be grateful for the time you have with the people you love. And if there's something that you want to do, don't wait to do it until it's too late.