We were watching a murder mystery and the question was asked to all the ‘regulars’ in the series, “What would you want to say if you knew you were dying?” It was interesting to hear what each character said. It was also interesting to think about how I would answer that question. What would I say? What would I regret NOT having done?
None of us knows how much time we have left on this earth. And as this quote reminds us, it is the things we didn’t do that will be our regrets. Not telling people how much they mean to us, not acting on that idea or taking that trip. When this topic has come up at various points in my life and with different groups, I have NEVER heard anyone say, “Wow, I wish I had sent that email, attending more Zoom meetings, or fit in one more conference call.” Most people talk about the words they didn’t say and the people they wanted to be sure knew how much they were loved. So in the end it is our relationships in our private lives that are what we think matter most.
As we’re almost through the first month of this new year, how are your personal relationships doing? How often do you tell the important people in your life how much they mean to you? Are you doing the things that put a tingle in your heart? Are you doing the things you want to do on those ideas that rumble around your head? Are you making the things, playing with the children, build the garden or renovating that special space? We only have so much time so procrastinating and making excuses about work load, being tired, or not being motivated are the excuses that could haunt one down the road.
Words, deeds, relationships and building the life we want takes time and dedication. They do not always yield a paycheck, they give us much more. They bring us joy, peace, love which are the things that never show up in a paycheck. Don’t let chasing the almighty dollar prevent you from building better relationships in the here and now.
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