Keep Short Lists

I’m stepping off the Disney/Vacation bandwagon for a moment to share something that’s really been on my heart and mind these past few weeks.

In my line of work, every once in a while, something happens that helps me refocus on the things that are truly important. Cancer doesn’t care whose life it invades. It doesn’t care about the person’s story, how old they are, how many children they have, or who their family is.

Working in oncology these past eight years has taught me that nothing is unchangeable or impossible. Our lives can change in the blink of an eye (either good or bad) before we have a chance to catch our breath. Life is SO short. I know that 80 or 90 years seems like such a long time, but it goes by incredibly fast. I spent a few moments at my grandfather’s house this past Saturday for the first time in a long time, and I was amazed at the emptiness there. Walking in the door with him not sitting in his usual chair, greeting me with a kiss and a “Hey, Kid!” was almost more than I could take. It amazes me to think that life ends so quickly. Sure, I know all about the dying process and what to look for when life is about to end, but it still amazes me that a person can be here, alive and breathing one minute…and gone the next. The craziest thing is that NONE of us know when that date or time will be!

Nothing that happens on this earth to us is a surprise to God. He already knows what choices we are going to make and what directions our lives will take us. It’s what we do with the choices we are faced with that makes a difference. He knows our birth date, and he knows the date we are going to be taken away from this Earth.

We were placed here on this earth for a reason and for a divine purpose. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I know that I want to fulfill God’s plans for my life while I have the chance. I want to make a difference and leave an impact while I’m here.

Working in Oncology has taught me a lot about life and living life to its fullest. Above all else, it has taught me that I need to take advantage of the time my family (and I) have on this earth, spend as much time as possible with those I love, hug more often, say I love you every chance I get, and truly LOVE those around me.

I’ve been re-reading a trilogy from my teen years, and a sentence in one of the books caught my attention. I thought the quote was a perfect way to sum all of these thoughts up:

“Keep short lists. Learn to forgive quickly and go on because one day you’ll wake up and find that somehow you got old when you weren’t looking. Your lists won’t matter at all then.” –Robin Jones Gunn

Maybe this all started with my birthday and turning 31? No, I think it was actually a culmination of things – my birthday was definitely a factor along with thoughts of my grandfather, and case studies I’ve been working on this past week. I don’t want to grow old, but its inevitable, I don’t really have a choice in the matter. Age is what you make of it and I love Walt’s quote that says, “That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up!”

Sorry if any of my thoughts came off as sounding morbid, I just wanted to share what’s been on my heart and mind lately.

Have you ever faced a situation that helped you refocus on the important things in life?