Don't Hold Back

This is a photo I took of the California coast.  Standing next to the ocean always reminds me of how small I am and how vast life is...but standing on top of a mountain and looking down to the ocean reminds me, I am capable of great things no matter how small I may be.

Sometimes we let others make our decisions without even knowing how their thoughts, words or actions affect us.  We stay in a relationship because we think our friends will judge us or we will hurt the other person if we leave them.  We eat right or wrong because we feel pressure to do so.  We say yes in the smallest instance because we don’t want our boss to think differently of us.  I read recently the 5 things most people regret on their death bed.  Out of these five things that people regret, not one was “I spent way too much time with the ones I love.” or  “I always spoke my mind.” or "I ate way too much chocolate." or  “I took too many emotional risks.” or “I always tried to find happiness.” or my favorite, “I loved too much.”  No, the biggest regrets people had were not speaking their mind, not following their heart, not spending time with their family and friends and not allowing themselves to have happiness. 

My Great-GrandFather used to say, “Love is a choice.  Everyday you wake up and you chose to love.”  This goes for your life is all areas.  We have choices.  You can wake up and chose to be happy.  You can wake up and chose to take care of yourself.  You can wake up and say unhappiness is not worth my time.  If we’re lucky, life is long and full.  Though, sometimes life is too short.  I learned this this past week when a college friend’s mother was buried at the tender age of 56.  The only thing that brings me comfort is that, I know she lived a full life.  She was happily married for 30 years.  She had three beautiful, kind, loving children.  Everyone that this woman touched loved her.  Even the priest told his story of how he fell in love with her and was supposed to marry her.  I have to repeat it here because it was just too good to not share.

‘He was 3 years old and she was 14 when he fell in love with her.  Her family lived above his family, across from the church where her service was and where now, he was a priest.  She would babysit him until she went away to college where she met her future husband.  One day, 10 years after the priest first met her, she brought her boyfriend home and announced their engagement.  This is where the priest said, “So, she married him and there was nothing left for me besides priesthood.”  I almost lost it in the church.’ 

Life has a funny way of showing us what we are meant to do and who we are meant to be.  Don’t let others stand in your way.  Find the strength.  Find the fearlessness.  Find the love.

For the Five Regrets Click HERE.