What matters most
A few years ago, I lost a good friend randomly to a bad heart condition and yesterday, I lost a friend that I only met a few times, but touched me by her overwhelming kindness. After crying for a while, I started reflecting on life and I thought I would share some of my thoughts.
#1 Life is short - If you aren't out living the life you want right now, then get off your but and make it happen. You don't know what tomorrow brings.
#2 God and Family is everything - I want to be better at leading my family in worship, but i just haven't been that guy lately. It's never to late to start though and God is patient enough to wait for me to be the man I need to be and I am very thankful for that.
#3 Takes pictures - Sometimes, I think I take too many pictures, but if everything was to end for me tomorrow, these pictures are what I will be remembered by, so take pictures that move your soul. Whether it's pictures of your kids, your family, the things you love, the things you hate.... just don't leave your camera at home while life is happening all around you.
#4 Do what you love - Seriously, why do you want to be stuck in a job that makes you miserable. Adjust your lifestyle, so that it allows you to have fun in the work that you are passionate about.
#5 Cherish your friends - Great friends are not easy to come by. Most of the time you spend dancing around the fact that you have good friends, but you should cherish them. You should tell them you love them. The first time a friend told me he loved me, I didn't know how to respond, because no one had ever said that to me before. I can tell you it made me feel great though. To know that someone cared about me so much to say that meant the world! We have to cherish our friends and tell them that we love them. Encourage them to be the best they can possibly be in life!
6. Laugh more - stop being so strict on yourself and your family and laugh when things get bad. Laugh when things are good. Laugh at yourself and don't be so serious.
I wrote all of these things, because these are the things I need to do myself. If we are all open and honest with each other, we will find that we are all the same and feel the same way. I'm out here in an Airstream living the life I want to live. I take tons of pictures of my family, but I don't laugh as much as I want to and I don't tell my friends that I love them as much as I should. I try to put God first, but thats another thing I struggle with, but the coolest thing is that it's never to late to do the right thing.
So, I'm going to take a day off from work today and spend it with my family. I'm going to laugh, have fun and tell them I love them a bazillion times! I hope you find some time to do the same.
Joe