The Spice of Life…

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is to love and to be loved in return.” This quote from the film “Moulin Rouge” really inspired my thinking as I made a list of New Year’s resolutions over the holiday break.
Every year it’s the same old thing. For those of us who participate in the annual tradition of beginning the year with new goals, it’s often the same resolutions year after year. Some people want to rid themselves of unhealthy habits, such as smoking or overeating. Others want to stop biting their nails, stop procrastinating, exercise more regularly or pay off their credit card bills. Some want to pull up their GPA or work towards a promotion at their place of employment.
So often we get caught up in achieving our goals that we forget what really matters. I have never heard of anyone who is on their deathbed saying, “If only I spent more time studying,” “I wish I could have spent more time working at the office,” or “Let me look at my trophies one more time.” Rather, people want to see their loved ones. This is because the greatest thing in this world is not having a particular degree, occupation or succeeding in any particular sport or activity. These things are good; however, when they take the top priority in your life, you end up missing out in the long run.
We need to learn that the things that we work for in this lifetime cannot come with us when we die. Moving vans don’t follow hearses to the cemetery. The most important thing you can work toward in this lifetime is building relationships. People too often relate ‘love’ and ‘relationships’ to romance. That is not necessarily what I am referring to, though. Everyday people walk into our lives and we are given the opportunity to grow closer to them or to push them away. Whether it is your parents, siblings, children, friends, co-workers or neighbors, all are people to whom you have the opportunity to express your love.
In the #1 New York Times bestseller, “A Purpose Driven Life,” Rick Warren states, “Busyness is a great enemy of relationships. We become preoccupied with making a living, doing our work, paying bills and accomplishing goals as if these tasks are the point of life. They are not. The point of life is learning to love.”
This year I want to worry less about money, grades and all of the other things that tend to stress out typical college students. Instead, I want to focus my energy on spending time with the people I love. I want to take road trips to see friends with whom I no longer go to school. I want to stay up all night bonding with a friend instead of staying up all night studying. When I visit my family, I want to spend less time going to the mall or watching television and more time playing board games, watching movies, cooking and scrapbooking with my parents and sisters. I want the time I spend with the people that I care about to be quality time.
Of course it’s important to do our best and work hard in all areas of our life, including work and school. However, it’s important to remember that at the end of the day, what truly matters is the people in your life. Are you showing love to those around you? Are you embracing those who reach out to you? Take time to let the people you care about know how you feel, through a smile, a kind word, a hug.
The way I want to live my life in 2004 is best said through a quote by Warren, “The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 16 2004. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry