Lessons Learned on the Road
You have a lot of time to think on a 1000 mile drive home. Well, in between the screaming kids and the potty breaks, that is.
I don’t know how it happened, but somewhere during this trip I finally got it. IT. Have you ever had one of those moments, I suppose you could call it an epiphany, where you just go, “Oh! So that’s what it’s all for?”
The meaning of life, as Curly so eloquently put it, is that one thing, in that one finger. Am I confusing you?
I guess what I’m trying to say is somewhere between Mississippi and Pennsylvania I finally realized why life can be so great, why it is so precious, and why I have to continually remind myself to be thankful for what I have.
I know some of you may be thinking, “Didn’t she already know this?” Yes. I did. And then I forgot. As we all do.
Life is a series of hills and valleys, dark places and epiphanies. We forget what is so wonderful about our lives and then all of a sudden it smacks us in the face and we remember.
My kids drive me crazy. I mean REALLY crazy. But I love them. And they’re mine. And life without them, now that I have known them, would feel empty.
And my husband. I’ve put him through so much. I’m sure many of you who read this remember that I was getting a divorce. WAS being the operative word.
I forgot. I forgot that I love my husband. Why?
Because as Kurt reminded me, I didn’t just want to be in love, I wanted to be in love in a movie. And I forgot that my real life ain’t that bad. And I love my husband.
I had a defining moment on my 1000 mile trip home. Life is precious. Don’t waste a moment.
We spent one night on the road during our trip. I was struggling over the continental breakfast at the hotel with my boys, (ages 3 years and 16 months). There were two other people present, a lovely woman who helped me clean up no less than 3 spilled juices and 2 bowls of spilled cheerios, and an older gentleman sipping coffee. As I was finishing up with the boys, the two of them began to talk and I overheard their conversation.
“So where are you off to?” the woman asked the older man.
“I’m traveling with my son and his family to Texas,” the old man responded.
“Oh, that sounds so nice.”
“Well, I figured I’d better go one last time. I’m 92 and this will probably be my last trip.”
His comment struck a cord. How strange it must be, I thought, to look at the end of your life and know that it is fast approaching and inevitable.
“You can’t be 92!” the lady responded. “You look wonderful! You must have had a good woman in your life.”
“I did. I lost her about 3 years ago. We were married for nearly 70 years.”
Wow.
Grasp it folks. Life is fleeting.
I don’t know how it happened, but somewhere during this trip I finally got it. IT. Have you ever had one of those moments, I suppose you could call it an epiphany, where you just go, “Oh! So that’s what it’s all for?”
The meaning of life, as Curly so eloquently put it, is that one thing, in that one finger. Am I confusing you?
I guess what I’m trying to say is somewhere between Mississippi and Pennsylvania I finally realized why life can be so great, why it is so precious, and why I have to continually remind myself to be thankful for what I have.
I know some of you may be thinking, “Didn’t she already know this?” Yes. I did. And then I forgot. As we all do.
Life is a series of hills and valleys, dark places and epiphanies. We forget what is so wonderful about our lives and then all of a sudden it smacks us in the face and we remember.
My kids drive me crazy. I mean REALLY crazy. But I love them. And they’re mine. And life without them, now that I have known them, would feel empty.
And my husband. I’ve put him through so much. I’m sure many of you who read this remember that I was getting a divorce. WAS being the operative word.
I forgot. I forgot that I love my husband. Why?
Because as Kurt reminded me, I didn’t just want to be in love, I wanted to be in love in a movie. And I forgot that my real life ain’t that bad. And I love my husband.
I had a defining moment on my 1000 mile trip home. Life is precious. Don’t waste a moment.
We spent one night on the road during our trip. I was struggling over the continental breakfast at the hotel with my boys, (ages 3 years and 16 months). There were two other people present, a lovely woman who helped me clean up no less than 3 spilled juices and 2 bowls of spilled cheerios, and an older gentleman sipping coffee. As I was finishing up with the boys, the two of them began to talk and I overheard their conversation.
“So where are you off to?” the woman asked the older man.
“I’m traveling with my son and his family to Texas,” the old man responded.
“Oh, that sounds so nice.”
“Well, I figured I’d better go one last time. I’m 92 and this will probably be my last trip.”
His comment struck a cord. How strange it must be, I thought, to look at the end of your life and know that it is fast approaching and inevitable.
“You can’t be 92!” the lady responded. “You look wonderful! You must have had a good woman in your life.”
“I did. I lost her about 3 years ago. We were married for nearly 70 years.”
Wow.
Grasp it folks. Life is fleeting.
posted by Sherri at 8:59 AM
8 Comments:
Sherri,
Your husband is a lucky man.
~Kurt
You are absolutely right, and Kurt made an excellent point on that. We expect so much that is unrealistic - from everything, not just husbands/wives - when we should be thankful for what we have. My pastor always talks about wanting what you have, not having what you want, etc.
I'm so glad you have had this epiphany. I've always had my grandparents as a marital role model - my own parents have each been married 3-4 times. But my grandparents are just there - no glamour, no REAL excitement to speak of (like "Mr and Mrs Smith," whatever). But after almost 60 years of marriage, it's obvious to everyone who sees them that they just adore each other to pieces. They just ARE, and that's enough.
I believe that each of them concentrates on making the other one happy. So everyone wins. I'm not saying they're perfect or that I've never seen them fight. But it's that simple. If you love each other and you agree to look after each other instead of yourselves, your marriage can thrive.
Work in progress. I'm VERY happy for you and your husband, and especially your babies. I'm through gushing now. :-)
Wow, that was heavy - lessons learned in random places are so meaningful.
Some might recall that I broke up in April with the man who is now my fiance. I didn't think I was in love with him anymore, and I didn't think he would ever commit, and I didn't think I wanted to be with him. And then when we broke up, we started to communicate much better, and I realized that all the old feelings weren't gone. They were just hiding under a bunch of crap. And now we are planning our wedding...
My point here is that I also suffered from the why-isn't-this-like-it-is-in-the-movies thing. And luckily, I got over it, as you did. Thanks for reminding me what life is really all about!
i just talk to other married women and i KNOW no one has that total passion and bliss at all stages of their marriage.think that's why hollywood marriages don't work? they are all actors and used to living vicariously through their characters and when real life doesn't measure up, they move on. we ALL get bored but from talking to women who have been married 20 plus years, i figure it gets better again when the kids are older.
if you find a man who treats you and the kids nice, works, doesn't drink til dawn, and wants to have sex at least once a week then you are ahead of the game. of course the same has to go for the women!
Good post! Thanks
Life just smacks you in the back of the head sometimes, doesn't it? I'm glad you're back.
You have no idea how much I needed to read that. Thank you.
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