Making it Count

I am thankful for every reminder that we don't live forever, even when it brings sadness and grief. It's too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and focus on the little things instead of looking at the big picture. 

You've probably heard the saying, "Live each day as if it were your last." It's been quoted by many and challenged by many more. For example, Paulo Coelho countered this idea with, "Don't live every day as if it were your last. Live every day as if it were your first.".

Yet, most of us do neither…and still, the days continue to pass us by. That's me. I'll be the first to admit that I'm guilty of this. Putting off my big and small dreams because of timing, budgets, or just feeling stuck in a routine or a rut.

One of my dreams has been to revisit where I grew up. I've been reminiscing about my childhood and youth a lot lately. And so, this August, I finally took my husband and our daughter to visit the small northern community where I was born. I'm so grateful I did because our time there was magical in the most meaningful way. 

Although our time there was brief, here's what I learned from my trip down memory lane: 

Genuine connections run deep.

It doesn't matter how much time has passed. The people who were important at one point in our lives will continue to hold meaning down the road. You can easily pick up these relationships where you left off, as though no time has passed, even if it feels like a lifetime ago. This is why you shouldn't let the time gone by keep you from reaching out. 

There's nothing quite like small-town hospitality. 

When my husband experienced the community I grew up in, he truly understood what small-town living meant. Within hours of arriving, he started recognizing faces around town and adopted a nod and wave whenever we'd run into them again. Even our daughter was recognized and acknowledged everywhere she went. We all felt incredibly welcomed and safe because everyone looked out for each other. 

This will be one of our most memorable family vacations because we made the most of our time and fully immersed ourselves in the community while we were there.

We took early morning paddles in the canoe, skipped stones on a crystal clear lake, and collected beach glass and shells until we had too much to carry. We visited with old friends and revisited my childhood homes and elementary school.

But most of all, we enjoyed the quiet, the slower pace, the time to let our minds wander, the clean water and fresh air, and the sense of community that is the heartbeat of places like this.

Therefore, my biggest takeaway from this trip was the reminder that it's the things we don't do that we regret the most. So this is your challenge: do it now, whatever you've been putting off doing. Do it now.