Another Day, Another Destiny

Carpe Diem! Do we really seize the day? There are many days that I just seize the television remote and a Diet Coke, to be honest. After attending a funeral recently for a childhood friend who battled Cancer, I did some soul searching. Her time was far too short in her accomplished life, but she certainly didn't waste any time while she was here. I began to take note how much time I wasted. Some things to consider since my soul search:

• Go outside. Enjoy the season, weather and what nature has to offer locally. Okay, it's cold during our 5:30 am run but it's exhilarating! One thing I miss about California is the beach. When I'm at the beach, I miss Utah's mountains. Where ever you are, enjoy where you are, but get out.
• Get unhooked. Put down your phone, IPad, computer, or whatever has you connected and disconnected from people. Time is short and if you want to develop real relationships that last a lifetime, your life starts now. Enjoy the journey with family and friends, not with your electronics. Becoming engaged with conversation and activities with people is so much more rewarding. Make memories from doing, not from just social media posting.
• Be passionate about something. Everyone has a niche and that is what makes life beautiful and interesting. Find what is yours and develop it. This might require an exploration. You may discover you have many passions and talents...even better!
• Be grateful. More than ever, I feel blessed for all that I have been given. Large to small, every thing I touch and can't touch I am grateful for. Each day is a gift. I love my family. I have great friends. I'm thankful for my job. I'm thrilled that I can park my car in the garage! With that in mind, it has really changed my attitude about seizing each day and being thankful for the journey.

Despite my son Cody's appearance in the second row, getting stuck in
"It's a Small World" for 40 min. with the family is now a cherished memory :)

I think back to a family vacation this past summer when my son returned from an LDS mission and just days later we were in California at Disneyland. The last ride of the day was "It's a Small World." "It will be great," I thought. He just returned from a different country and speaks a different language! It was near closing. We were all dreadfully tired and the boat stalled just moments away from freedom. All seven of us were trapped for 40 minutes with that pre-recorded music looped over and over. It became painful to the point of comical. But my point is, the time was not wasted. We could have had a negative attitude, but we didn't. The Disney employees thanked us for our laughter and good spirits. We enjoyed our time stranded in the life raft and it has become a forever memory. I'm now grateful it happened.