Tears and Laughter: We Build Houses Like We Will Be Here Forever

We build houses like we will be here forever, but it is all very temporary.

“Fleeting,” I think is what the Bible says, “The twinkling of an eye.”

We are given, on average – if we are lucky – about 78 years. This average of course is not always accurate. You can’t depend on it. It is more unpredictable than Alabama weather or hormonal women.

Nobody gets promised any tomorrows. There will come a day for each of us when there will be no next week.

It is all a balance between the uncertainty of time and the certainty of death. So regardless of age, we only have a few good summers left. We only get so many Friday nights and Sunday mornings. I suggest we enjoy them. Learn to enjoy typical Tuesdays too. Seize the day. Make the call, take the chance, pursue your passions, ask the questions and make the first move.

Simplify life enough to live it. Book the trip. Wear the snow boots or the bikini and post the picture. Not the popular manicured toes overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, but you…full-on authentic you. Claim your place, fill your space, and show your face, because when you are gone, people who love you will want to see pictures, and best I can tell we get one spin through.

There is not a whole lot of time to waste wondering. Don’t sacrifice memories over insecurities. Don’t squander days with second guessing yourself. The quickest and easiest way to find out what it is you really want to do is to do whatever it is you want to do.

And don’t complicate that.

You don’t have to seek advice or call your mama to figure out what soup you want to order with lunch. You know what you like. It is not an unsolvable equation. It’s not a Rubik’s Cube. Give yourself the permission and freedom to live your life the same way. Live it your way. Don’t live it based on what you think someone else expects. Life is equal opportunity.

Be careful with regret. You don’t want regrets holding you back from being content and happy. You don’t want invasive thoughts from the past keeping you from living fully today. Come to terms with it if you can. Make amends.

Apologize if you need to. Forgive if you need to. Forgive yourself if you need to.

And be kind.

More than ever, in a time when we seem to hate one another over nothing, try and just be kind when you can.

Be sweet, be nice…lend a hand. Depression and hopelessness wear a deceiving expression. Offer a smile. Hold a door. Be a friend. Listen. Notice. Encourage. We can’t control certain diseases, and a certain amount of accidents may always exist. We can’t stop a hurricane or hold back a flood, but homicide and suicide are preventable. The smallest acts of kindness can completely change the course of someone’s day and mindset.

Make the most of every moment.

And make every moment count.

Because we only build houses like we will be here forever.