"Your time is limited. Don't waste it living someone else's life." ~ Steve Jobs How can you more fully live the life you're meant to live?

When my brother and I were having our war of words, something he told me in the barrage of hurtful accusations really hit home. He said that I needed to stop and smell the roses more often. Most of the things he said I could chalk up to his defensiveness, or feeling less than, or trying to get a rise out of me. But I saw a good deal of truth in the roses statement.

Yes, I’m guilty of being so busy with the “shoulds” and “need tos” in the routine of day-to-day living that I don’t stop and enjoy just being.  I’m so concerned with crossing things off my to-do list (I’m relentless at making those endless lists, just ask my husband!) that I fail to savor the small moments and pay attention to the little things. I forget that it’s about the journey, not the destination.

There’s something to be said for venturing out of your comfort zone occasionally. For giving everything you’ve got just to see what you’re capable of doing. There’s definitely fulfillment in pushing, and satisfaction in accomplishing. But if you’re constantly scrambling and racing through life rather than occasionally sauntering or meandering, everything becomes a blur and you’re missing out on all the exquisite detail and beauty that living has to offer.

When we were recently in Charleston, a field of wildflowers caught my eye. Normally, I’d take notice of their beauty in passing, while continuing to drive to my destination. This time, I had my husband stop the car. I got out and took pictures. I sat among the flowers and admired them for awhile; smelled their scent and savored the tranquility of the moment. When we were in Biloxi last weekend I was admiring the white sand beaches from afar and noticed some huge sand tricycles. Despite the fact that we were on our way to a car show event, I convinced Rich to park the car and we took our shoes off and walked in the sand. Then we rented a couple of the tricycles and had a blast tooling around the water’s edge.

 I want to savor these moments in everyday life, not just when I’m on vacation. I want to quit counting the days until the next chapter starts in my life. I want to stop saying, “Life will be better when…..”  and simply appreciate the here and now.