READ
THIS
VERY
SLOWLY...
IT'S
PRETTY
PROFOUND.
Too
many
people
put
off
something
that
brings
them
joy
just
because
they
haven't
thought
about
it,
don't
have
it
on
their
schedule,
didn't
know
it
was
coming
or
are
too
rigid
to
depart
from
their
routine.
Just
think
about
all
those
people
on
the
Titanic
who
passed
up
dessert
at
dinner
that
fateful
night
in
an
effort
to
cut
back.
Maybe
we
should
try
to
be
a
little
more
flexible.
How
many
women
out
there
will
eat
at
home
because
their
husband
didn't
suggest
going
out
to
dinner
until
after
something
had
been
thawed?
Does
the
word
"refrigeration"
mean
nothing
to
you?
How
often
have
your
kids
dropped
in
to
talk
and
sat
in
silence
while
you
watched
'Jeopardy'
on
television?
I
cannot
count
the
times
I
called
my
sister
and
said,
"How
about
going
to
lunch
in
a
half
hour?"
She
would
gas
up
and
stammer,
"I
can't.
I
have
clothes
on
the
line.
My
hair
is
dirty.
I
wish
I
had
known
yesterday,
I
had
a
late
breakfast,
It
looks
like
rain."
And
my
personal
favorite:
"It's
Monday."
She
died
a
few
years
ago.
We
never
did
have
lunch
together.
Because
Americans
cram
so
much
into
their
lives,
we
tend
to
schedule
our
headaches..
We
live
on
a
sparse
diet
of
promises
we
make
to
ourselves
when
all
the
conditions
are
perfect!
We'll
go
back
and
visit
the
grandparents
when
we
get
Steve
toilet-trained.
We'll
entertain
when
we
replace
the
living-room
carpet.
We'll
go
on
a
second
honeymoon
when
we
get
two
more
kids
out
of
college.
Life
has
a
way
of
accelerating
as
we
get
older.
The
days
get
shorter,
and
the
list
of
promises
to
ourselves
gets
longer.
One
morning,
we
awaken,
and
all
we
have
to
show
for
our
lives
is
a
litany
of
"I'
m
going
to,
"
"I
plan
on,"
and
"Someday,
when
things
are
settled
down
a
bit."
When
anyone
calls
my
'seize
the
moment'
friend,
she
is
open
to
adventure
and
available
for
trips.
She
keeps
an
open
mind
on
new
ideas.
Her
enthusiasm
for
life
is
contagious.
You
talk
with
her
for
five
minutes,
and
you're
ready
to
trade
your
bad
feet
for
a
pair
of
Roller
blades
and
skip
an
elevator
for
a
bungee
cord.
My
lips
have
not
touched
ice
cream
in
10
years.
I
love
ice
cream.
It's
just
that
I
might
as
well
apply
it
directly
to
my
stomach
with
a
spatula
and
eliminate
the
digestive
process.
The
other
day,
I
stopped
the
car
and
bought
a
triple-decker.
If
my
car
had
hit
an
iceberg
on
the
way
home,
I
would
have
died
happy.
Now...go
on
and
have
a
nice
day.
Do
something
you
WANT
to......not
something
on
your
SHOULD
DO
list.
If
you
were
going
to
die
soon
and
had
only
one
phone
call
you
could
make,
who
would
you
call
and
what
would
you
say?
And
why
are
you
waiting?
Make
sure
you
read
this
to
the
end.
Have
you
ever
watched
kids
playing
on
a
merry
go
round
or
listened
to
the
rain
lapping
on
the
ground?
Ever
followed
a
butterfly's
erratic
flight
or
gazed
at
the
sun
into
the
fading
night?
Do
you
run
through
each
day
on
the
fly?
When
you
ask
"How
are
you?"
Do
you
hear
the
reply?
When
the
day
is
done,
do
you
lie
in
your
bed
with
the
next
hundred
chores
running
through
your
head?
Ever
told
your
child,
"We'll
do
it
tomorrow."
And
in
your
haste,
not
see
his
sorrow?
Ever
lost
touch?
Let
a
good
friendship
die?
Just
call
to
say
"Hi"?
When
you
worry
and
hurry
through
your
day,
it
is
like
an
unopened
gift....Thrown
away....
Life
is
not
a
race.
Take
it
slower.
Hear
the
music
before
the
song
is
over.
