Does the title seem too obvious, considering it’s a well known fact? I mean, after all, we all know that we will die at some point, we just never know when! But if we know that, then why don’t we live life like that EVERY SINGLE DAY?!?! Why do we act the way we do, treat others the way we do, and even worry the way we do since we know that tomorrow isn’t promised??? Why not let tomorrow take care of itself?!
I don’t know about you, but I am one of those people who is always looking to the future! It doesn’t matter if I’m looking into the future by 2 or 3 hours, 2 or 3 days, or even 2 or 3 years……..but regardless of how far I’m looking, I am ALWAYS worrying about something! What if they don’t like the gift I just picked up and the party is in an hour? What if I get called into the office because I didn’t do something right? Or what if my child ends up going to college far away from where we live (he is only a junior y’all)?
Am I the ONLY person who thinks like this? I’ve been like this ever since I can remember! For real! I’ve always looked into the future at what could or might not happen (in my favor) and worried about it! And I really don’t know where the switch is to turn this off! I feel like I have truly cheated myself out of a whole lot of memories! Instead of living in the here and now, and soaking up every moment (I’ve even blogged about this), I’m always waiting for the ‘next big thing’, when tomorrow isn’t even promised!
Every morning I wake up, I immediately start thinking and wondering how my day, week, or even weekend is going to go! I try to prioritize things that, in reality, might never happen. And I don’t want to sound like a negative Nancy right now, but all of this is the truth! Tomorrow isn’t promised! And I just think that I could spend my time living in each moment. Deal with one thing at a time. And stop worrying about ‘what will happen if’ or ‘what will happen when’! Instead, I need to focus on “what can I do right now?”
Am I suggesting that everyone stop making plans and ‘just go the way the wind blows’, absolutely not! Plans, such as vacations, sports, and careers need to be thought out! I think we would be foolish not to make plans, but we need to throw the worry out of the window.
You know, the kind of worry that comes with telling a friend no. The worry that comes with not knowing how someone will react to your news, whether it is good or bad. The worry that causes you to stay up all night and in the end, you still can’t change the situation. The worry that takes away your joy because you are so focused on the “what if’s” even though Tomorrow isn’t promised!
With my oldest fixing to be a senior in high school (typing that out caused a tear), I am learning every day to just embrace EVERY SINGLE MOMENT AND EVERY SINGLE DAY! I am learning to trust him to make his own choices without stressing myself out by wondering if he has the ability to do make the right ones–you know–the ones I would make! And it’s been such a relief to stop worrying about the consequences of what he “might” do wrong, and just trust that his dad and I have taught him how to think things through before committing to “following the crowd” and end up in a bind! Especially since…..you got it……tomorrow isn’t promised!
I know that we tend to ‘prioritize’ our list of worries, but what if we chose to lay our worries down instead? What if we made it a priority NOT to worry? What if, instead of worrying, we wait…………P.A.T.I.E.N.T.L.Y to see if there is even a need to get worked up, after all, tomorrow isn’t promised!
Go live, laugh, and love today because it is the ONLY TIME you are promised!
Enjoy Every Moment 