...they add up. The to-do lists, the obligations, the chores--they can quickly overwhelm you, if you let them. Sometimes, you just have to step back, and take a moment.
Take time to breathe.
Most things can wait.
Take time for friends--whether in a phone call, a text, a short visit, or one that lasts all day.
Many of the lessons I carry from my father are ones I learned after his passing. Or ones I didn't even know that I had learned until he was gone. Yesterday, I spent the day with one of my oldest friends, Kari. As she and I made our way around town eating lunch and visiting Powell's, followed by walking through a very windy Forest Park, I reflected.
One of my father's friends said at his memorial service (almost 10 years ago) that one of the best qualities my dad had was making time for people. He made time, and he made you feel like that time was the most important thing for him. He was present.
Yesterday felt a lot like a similar Thursday a couple months ago, where another friend and I wandered Portland, running errands, eating, laughing, and processing our emotional ups and downs. Both days spent with friends visiting from out of town. Both days completely set aside for those ladies. I do that. I clear my time for the people I love.
I invest in those who invest in me.
I take time.
And more and more, I realize how important it is, because you never know when that will be the last time you see that person.
Let's all be a little more present.
Well said, I know I am guilty of not being as present as I should be sometimes.
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