I had a
very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband unexpectedly
and suddenly died of a heart attack.
About a week after his death, she shared some insight with a classroom of
students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom
windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge
of her desk and sat down there.
With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, "Before
class is over, I would like to share with all of you a thought that is unrelated
to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on Earth to
learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this
fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this
is 'the powers that be' way of telling us that we must make the most out of
every single day."
Her eyes beginning to water, she went on, "So I would like you all to make
me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find
something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something you see; it could
be a scent -- perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house; or
it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees;
or the way the morning light catches the autumn leaf as it falls gently to the
ground."
"Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound
trite to some, these things are the 'stuff' of life. The little things we are
put here on Earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted. We must make
it important to notice them, for at any time... it can all be taken away."
The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed out of the
room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school
than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher
and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate
all of those things that sometimes we overlook.
Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today. Go barefoot.
Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get a
double-dip ice cream cone.
For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the
things we didn't do.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that
take our breath away.
-Author
Unknown
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