Treat the present like the gift that it is

"Yesterday is history,
Tomorrow a mystery,
Today is a gift,
That's why it's called the present!"

--Anonymous

I like that quote a lot, especially the last two lines. It basically says, "seize the day." Each day truly is a gift, and the future has no guarantees.

I've just finished reading the book The Last Lecture. The author -- Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon -- wrote down words of wisdom that he wanted to share with others (especially his children.) He had cancer and was told he that had only a few months to live.

The book has me thinking: What would I do if I had only a few months to live? I have all these plans to go places and do and see things. But what if time was cut short?

Tomorrow is a mystery, so we have to appreciate and make the most of each day.

I'm also thinking about how every day, there are people who are actually told that their time is limited. Oh, how hard that news would be! Randy said in his book that the hardest part was knowing that his three young children would be left without a father. I'm thinking and praying for the people right now who are trying to deal with this kind of knowledge, as well as the families of people who have terminal illnesses.

Reading The Last Lecture, gave me a glimpse inside the mind of someone who knew he was dying. He was realistic about his situation, yet positive at the same time. I admire that. I also appreciate the advice he shared in the book -- life lessons that we all have probably heard before, but are definitely worth repeating...

Don't complain, just work harder -- "I've always believed that if you took one-tenth of the energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you'd be surprised by how well things can work out."

Show gratitude -- "Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other." I'd never really thought of it that way before.

Tell the truth -- "If I could give three words of advice, they would be "tell the truth." If I got three more words, I'd add "All the time." He also says later on, "Honesty is not only morally right, it's also efficient." I'd also never really considered the efficiency of being honest, but he makes a good point.

Never give up -- "Tenacity gets your over the brick walls of life."

Make a decision: Tigger or Eeyore -- "I don't know how not to have fun. I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day I have left. Because there's no other way to play it."

Amen! I think there's something to smile and/or laugh about each day, and I also believe that attitude is a decision. I pray that I could have a Tigger personality (bouncy, bouncy!...) and continue to live life to the fullest even if I knew that my time in this world would be over so soon.