To Enjoy the Day
Make the most of every day.
Use up the hours like a child.
There are no guarantees how many we get.
Older people will tell you:
They rarely regret the things they did,
Only the things they didn’t do.
Don’t spend your life intending to do something.
Start now!
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count it’s the life in your years.”
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
This poem came from a special little book that a great teacher friend gave to me as a gift after working together in 2015. Teaching with this lovely lady, now a dear friend, is easily one of the highlights of my career. A highlight for so many reasons but mainly because we had fun! We laughed and cried and really made the most of every day, smiling and loving “our kids”! Are you wondering what grade we taught? Kindergarten, of course!
When I received this book of gems from her, it was before I left to begin my administrative career. I first cried bittersweet tears, but then truly felt honored because it seemed like she had individually chosen each poem especially for me. This one by Abraham Lincoln struck me today with publication of my first children’s book within reach now. I saw Pip, my main character, jump out of the pages!
Ironically, today, as I opened the blinds in my study, for some reason I was distracted by this book that lives on a stand by the window. Shimmying between the stand and the window, being careful not to tip over a plant, I anxiously picked it up with one hand and opened the blind with the other. The narrow, silky, built-in book mark, pushed opened the pages to this poem, “To Enjoy the Day”. Amazing! The solid, yet simple, meaning of the words spoke loudly to me and reinforced why I’m so excited (and scared) for the release of my book. The passion in my soul that fuels Pip’s message has not wavered over the nearly seven years I’ve been working and planning this book. I am proud and happy to say, already, that I don’t regret trying.
I don’t regret the child-like mindset that overcame me that day in my school office when Pip was created. The evening before at that 1st grade parent-teacher conference had left me feeling frustrated and hurt. I was actually pouting, because after all, our kids are a piece of us and you guessed it, Francesca is my Pip and much like me! I used up those few minutes I had, like a child would, and in that moment, “I started now.” I created a vision, committed to it, and here I am!
What do you want to “start now”?
With Joy,
Kathy
Lincoln, Abraham. “To Enjoy the Day.” Now is the Time: 170 Ways to Seize the Moment. MJF Books, Hallmark Gift Books, Patrick Lindsay, 2014. Pg. 4. Print.