I live near a hospital. The ambulances rush by, sirens wailing ... taking someone to the emergency room. Almost every day I walk past that emergency room. Sometimes it’s busy. Sometimes it’s not. But, have you ever walked through one?
Everyone should walk through an emergency room at least once in their life. It makes you realize what your priorities are. It’s not the running around, or the Coach bag you have to have, or the money. It’s the people you love. The fact that one minute they might be there and one minute they might be gone.
I’ve seen loved ones and friends in the emergency room. Or I’ve heard their stories of their ER experiences. I have been in an ER too ... all alone, behind a curtain, waiting ... waiting. Did you ever wonder who was behind the curtain next to you? Was she a child, scared but comforted by a loving mother? Was it a cute guy who twisted his ankle while trying to show off to his girlfriend that he can skateboard? Was it a 92-year-old woman who was all alone, but who knew she was somewhere where people cared. I did. I wondered.
Lots of times there is not much we can do in an emergency room. We are all supposed to grow old. We are all meant to get sick. We are all meant to die. Emergency room doctors and nurses can dance around all that, but there is no magical response that can change that.
As my 36th Birthday inches closer I realize I am getting older. I am noticing more and more gray hairs on my curly haired head and think to myself “No! Go away! Me no likey you!” But we will all hopefully grow old.
Love, life and death unfold every single day. It’s something every person in every city, every village, and every suburb in every country deal with every day.
So when life gets crazy, stop and breathe. Think about what your priorities are. It’s not the running around, or the Coach bag you have to have, or the money (though winning the lotto would be nice). It’s the people you love and have around you ... and the fact that one minute they might be there and the next they might be gone. Remember to say “I love you,” even if someone is driving you coo-coo for cocoa puffs. Remember to smile ... because “a smile happens in a flash, but it’s memory can last a lifetime.” And remember, that every day is a day to be thankful for. I am thankful for all of you.
Jessica your blogpost is more profound than mine. I touched on the finiteness of our earthly lives in my own blogpost. The song, "If I Die Young" by "The Band Perry" resonates with me. When I stop and think about it, age is very relative. I think when my Grandma died, while she was much older than I was, she was still very much young. Every day IS a day to be thankful for. :)
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