Stories of all Sorts |
A Story to Live by !
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A Story To Live By by Ann Wells (Los Angeles Times)
My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau
and lifted out a tissue wrapped package. "This," he
said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded
the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade
and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical
figure on it was still attached. "Jan bought this the first
time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never
wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess
this is the occasion." He took the slip from me and put it
on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician.
I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town here my sister's family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special. I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life.
I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and
admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden.
I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time
in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern
of experience to savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them. I'm
not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal
for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink
unstopped, the first camellia blossom. I wear my good blazer to
the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous,
I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without
wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks
in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function
as well as my party going friends. "Someday" and "one
of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If
it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear
and do it now. May love litter your life with blessings!
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| Enjoy Life now why wait. Obstacles is
life.
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get
married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that
the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they
are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal
with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.
We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse
gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able
to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. |