I turned twenty the day Georgia Tech played Tulane on Grant Field. The torrential rain turned the grass field into a quagmire and, as a cheerleader on the sideline for Tech, I became covered in mud. It was a great day, an exciting Tech victory, and an exhilarating experience which filled my youthful heart with unabashed joy!

I’m thankful for that memory and of numerous other life experiences which have brought me great joy. My son-in-law refers to such occasions as “goosebump memories.” How appropriate.

But it seems to me that there aren’t enough days in our lives like my twentieth birthday, and I sometimes wonder why…? My theory is that we are so busy “doing” that we often fail to “live,” and miss many of life’s simple pleasures which could add joy to each day. And that’s a shame.

I was certainly guilty of this as a young practitioner. For the first eight years of my career, I served so many community and professional entities, I was out twenty nights per month after long days at the office serving a variety of organizations. It’s important to point out that many of those activities brought me personal satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment, but my schedule was exhausting and robbed me of “goosebump” opportunities and time with my family.

There’s an old saying that “Yesterday is history, tomorrow just a mystery, but today is a gift, which is why it’s called the present.” So, find ways to enjoy each day, for tomorrow is never promised. Take in its beauty, enjoy the little things, celebrate small victories, love what you do, find reasons to laugh, and reflect upon your many blessings. Each day can become one of “goosebump memories” if we focus on living rather than doing.


 


 

Mountaintop Moments(3) resized“Get busy living.. or get busy dying.
~Red (Morgan Freeman) from “Shawshank Redemption

 

Dr. Kerr

Author Dr. Kerr

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