In an instant

Just yesterday morning I was hit (literally) with the reality of how quickly a moment can change things. I opened the kitchen cabinet that we (attempt) to keep all of our water bottles in. On a side note, how many water bottles/refillable cups/yeti cups/etc does one family truly need? So I opened the cabinet to retrieve a water bottle to fill and take to school with me. The instant that the door opened, several water bottles tumbled out sending me into a screaming fit. One especially heavy container landed awkwardly on my hand. As I type this it probably wasn’t nearly as dramatic as it sounds. But trust me, it was quite the scene. This single second in time changed my upbeat, ready-to-take-on-the -world mood to a being instantly irritated, aggravated and ready to fight the world. I was able to recover quickly from my hand injury (which was not much more than an owie) but it took my mood a little longer to recover. I’m not sure why I was so mad. Not even sure who I was mad at. But looking back at the episode a day later, I realize that I let a really small, unexpected event rob me of at least an hour of my morning.

I have been thinking a lot about how this little thing is a lot like how life can be. In just an instant, lives can change. In just an instant, people can be gone from our world. In just an instant, diagnoses are delivered. In just an instant, finances crumble. In just an instant, relationships can be destroyed. The action of a water bottle falling out of the cabinet, in an instant, really made me think about how so many things hang in the balance in so many ways. I guess my takeaway will sound a bit cliche-ish…but the reality is that things can truly change in the blink of an eye. Within one heartbeat our whole world could be flipped upside down.

So what…..?

So…appreciate the life in every moment. Be present in every moment. Don’t miss the chance to speak those unspoken words. Smile – just because. Be someone’s hero. Ask for help. Chase your passion. Soak it in. Grab those moments and truly live in them. Don’t dwell on moments that have passed. Don’t worry about the moments that lie ahead. Live in the current moment because everything could change, in just an instant…