I had a very
special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband
unexpectedly died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his
death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students. As
the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom
windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on
the edge of her desk and sat
down there.
With a gentle
look of reflection on her face, she paused and said,
"Before class is over, I would like to share with all of
you a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very
important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love,
appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic
experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this
is God's way of telling us that we must take the most out of every
single day."
Her eyes
beginning to water, she went on, "So I would like you all to make
me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home,
find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something
you see - it could be a scent-perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting
out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze
slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning
light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please
look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound
trite to some, these things are "the stuff" of life. The
little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often
take for granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at any
time... it can all be taken away."
The class was
completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed out of the room
silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from
school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think
of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us,
and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all
overlook. Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour
today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the
way home tonight to get a double-dip ice cream cone. For as we get
older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the
things we didn't do.
Life is not measured by the
number of breaths we take, but by
the moments that take our breath away.
