Light Jedi: Lecture #32

A Passage
Lightside@forceacademy.com

This was written by an 83 year old women to her friend.

"I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them. I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good China and crystal for every special event such as losing a
pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom. I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but
wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what others would've done had they known that they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we
all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would
have gone out for a Chinese dinner, or for whatever their favorite food was. I'm guessing; I'll never know. It's those little things left undone that would make me angry
if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off,
hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God."

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My thoughts... in Latin, it's carpe diem. Live life to the fullest. As Jedi, this is something I work at doing every single day. Another good way of summarizing this is Leo DiCaprio's line in "Titanic": "Make each day count."

The ironic part about being enlightened like this and living each day to the fullest is in this re-printed e-mail I was sent. The woman was 83 years old before she realized these things. I hope we all, as Jedi, understand what this woman was relating and are able to make each day count early on...

Spark Vallen
SparkVallen@go.com