5 things out of 37, I feel you will regret later in life

I sit here and write from the couch of an amazing hotel lobby bar. Somewhere in Napa, nestled between vineyards and golden hills, I am writing. On the table in front of me sits a half eaten hummus plate and a beautiful crystal mug of Home made hot apple cider. I wonder if everybody else around me is taking note on how beautiful this scene is? Are they aware of the smooth jazz Christmas music that is playing, sounding as though a piano player were right behind them.

I am not sure.

I have just finished reading another bloggers post on “37 Things You will Regret When You Are Old” Many points made in the article have hit home.

I will speak of 5 things that really strike a chord in my soul.

1. Never Finishing What we Started- Habits of Punctuality, order, and diligence get us to where we want to be when we start. Find these habits, cultivate them with a strong will and thrive.. People remember 2 things about a story, The beginning and the End. That is it! So whatever you have to do to finish, do it!

2. Not Stopping enough to appreciate the moment- We have a finite amount of time on this planet. It is beautiful. Take a moment and enjoy it.

3. Staying in a Bad Relationship- If you don’t like it leave!! There are soooo many people out there to discover and explore, to stay in a relationship that makes you unhappy, well, you are simply choosing to be an unhappy person, I’m sure you will regret that when you are an old bag of dust.

4. Not Volunteering enough- Old people wish they had made a difference in the world. Leaving the world a better place than which you found it, should be on the goal sheet of everyone of us! Give more Get more!! #gogiver

5. NOT BEING GRATEFUL SOONER- Everyday I wake up and say, Thank You. Every night I go to bed saying THANK YOU!!! I practice gratitude everyday and night. There is no better therapy, NONE, than the practice of gratitude! Being grateful for what you have gives the universe, or God, whatever your thing is, no choice but to give you more to be grateful for!! So practice being grateful and reap the benefits!

Inspiration can be found anywhere, look for it every day and be happy.

I will now go back to my hot cider and my beautiful music. I will give thanks for this moment tonight before I go to bed. I am a lucky guy.

I Am My Father’s Son

Today is my father’s 62nd birthday. 62 years ago he came into this world. 32 years after that he brought me into the world to join him and my mother on a journey. A journey where neither party knew the destination. I may not know where my father thinks his journey has taken him, because a journey, as we all know, is in the eye of the beholder, but allow me to tell you where he has landed. 

From an outside look at my father you could see the following: He has 3 sons. 3 sons who are alive and healthy. He has a grandson as well, just a mere 7 months old, but healthy and beautiful. He has a wife who loves him, she may give him a hard time, but she loves him to death and they will be together until the end. His mother in-law loves him too, very much in fact. I think they are really good friends, a rare situation if you are to believe everything you see on TV. 

From a deeper inspection you may find out the following: He is an educator. Not an educator of common children, but those with special needs. I’m sure at times when life seems overwhelming with other parts he forgets how important he has been to so many different kids’ lives. Changing hundreds if not thousands of lives in a positive way through his daily work. If changing the world starts in your own backyard and with the children, he has been changing the world for many many years for the better. 

From a look at his relationship with his oldest son:  Looking in you could also see how much his on loves him. He has always loved his father, from the days when Dad was his baseball coach, to today, when he knows his father will always pick up the phone. When he runs he thinks of his father’s running days and wonders if he would be able to have kept up with his old man. Today more so than any other time in the past, his oldest son respects what he has done in his life and is filled with gratitude for the life that has been provided.  At this point in time, his oldest son wants nothing more than to share even the smallest of successes to let him know that his father did a great job raising him. To let his father know he couldn’t have done it without him. 

 Everyday I grow and change I know I am my father’s son. Everyday I am grateful to be that son. I love you dad. Thank you for being there  and never giving up on me, even when I had given up on myself. I am the luckiest guy in the world to have you in my life. 

 

To anybody who is listening: If you love your father tell him. Share your life with him daily. Harass him if needed. Text. Call. Email. Write cards. Whatever, just do it. You will thank yourself for  years to come.