A friend called me last night and with exasperation in his voice, he said he was tired of so much death. Indeed, it has been a season more funerals and less weddings. And at some point, you do become death exhausted. But one thing such a season does it make you put things into perspective and change your priorities.
First, at least for me, it makes me realize how blessed I am in this life. There must be gratitude or what is the point of it all? I have a great job and fantastic career, a house I enjoy, great friends who love me unconditionally, and a great life. Every day I should be thankful for all that I am lucky enough to have.
It also makes me extremely humble to think about how many blessings I have been given. I am a great writer and have worked my butt off, but each opportunity I have been given, means that someone took a chance on me and hired me. I could not have become the writer I am today without all of those opportunities. But there are so many more blessings, every day, that make me so incredibly humble.
But family and friends are also important. And no longer will I ever place a job or contract above those in my life. That contract would replace me in a heartbeat if anything happened to me. And even though I am a great writer, I am highly replaceable, as is everyone one else in this world career wise. This realization keeps me thankful for my job, while helping me keep it in perspective at the same time. No one ever regrets not spending more time at work. Your job is what you do, not who you are. How you treat those you love and how you help others defines who you are.
It is also important to be kind to others, while also not allowing yourself to be a doormat for toxic people. There is a fine line between being kind and being a doormat. Understand that toxic people will resent you standing up for yourself. Your friends will immediately apologize and not do to again. Once you have sorted those people out being kind is not a problem.
As far as love goes, recent events have made me realize how important it is to be around those who love you and treat you right. Life is fleeting, spend you time with those who make your heart happy. Stay away from those who don’t.
And last but not least, I have learned the importance of fun. Life is short, so have fun. Go out, flirt, laugh, eat, drink and be merry. none of us make it out alive, so we might as well push the limits a bit. Smile as much as you can, sing out loud – really loud – to the radio when you favorite song comes on. Really listen to your friends and don’t waste time with small talk. And throw yourself into life with wild abandon.
And one more is take time to pray every day. Or several times a day even. Having faith is a major part of my life. Faith and prayer have helped me through more dark times than I can mention
These are my priorities. There are others, like make sure to do things you enjoy, do things that scare you, don’t let fear keep you from trying, but you get the idea. Everyone’s priorities are different, but basically do what makes you happy.
Life is short. Love it. Live it.
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