How Best to Use Your Time on Earth

I went to visit my mother at the assisted living home where she has moved with her gentleman friend.  It saddened my deeply to see my mother, whom I remember as vivacious and engaged, sitting quietly withdrawn while the rest of us conversed.  Her hearing is going and so is her mind.  So sad.

I left with a sense of urgency – so little time to accomplish all that I want to do.  I should be doing more, accomplishing more. I should be making more progress on the book I’m writing.  I should be working harder to develop the information products and workshops I want to deliver.  How will I ever get it all done in the time I have left?

And yet, when I go out to the garden, the brilliant dahlias fill me with joy at their beauty, and the treasure hunt of picking green beans for dinner delights me.
When I go walking with Zoe dog along the river I gratefully receive the gifts of nature – light sparkling off the water or the song of a bird or that little black dog dashing through the forest.  At these moments I feel that I must fill this precious limited time I
have on Earth with the things that most nourish me.

I remind myself that these pleasurable experiences are every bit as important and valuable as becoming famous or ‘successful’.  Our culture puts value on moving to the next level, achieving ever more.  Cultivating gratitude and appreciation for the simple gifts in life provides an entirely different and more peaceful experience. Yet there remains the yearning to achieve, to make an impact in the world.

How do you want to use your precious time on Earth?