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Wed 20 Nov, 2002 08:37 pm
"If I had my life to live over again I would have cried and laughed less
while watching television - and more while watching life.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about
grass stains.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later.
Now go get washed up for dinner.'
There would have been more -I love you's- and more -I'm sorry's-.
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...
look at it and really see it... live it... and never give it back."
Erma Bombeck, 1927-1996
American Author and Humor Columnist
"Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better,
To paint a picture or write a letter,
Bake a cake or plant a seed,
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim and mountains to climb,
Music to hear and books to read,
Friends to cherish and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come 'round again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not always kind.
And when you go and go you must,
You, yourself, will make more dust."
Author Unknown
(But greatly appreciated!)
PS... Today's quote from Erma Bombeck was taken from her very popular
essay called "If I Had My Life To Live Over". She wrote this shortly
after being diagnosed with breast cancer and it has touched many hearts
around the world.
At what age do people first start thinking , if I had my life to live over......
Algis, I think people first realize it when the image in the mirror is not the person looking into the mirror.
Misti26 are you the quotes lady on Abuzz?
I love that dust if you must, for some people dust should be changed to drink.
Nice and reflective Misti26
Thanks Misti. I always enjoyed Erma Bombeck's humor columns. They were so true, they were funny! The essay she wrote that you quoted from here is one of my very favorites of all time. It just goes to show the talent of Bombeck. She could make you laugh, she could make you cry. She certainly is missed.
I also like the "dust if you must" poem. I wish I had used that philosophy when my children were growing up. We did many things together, but I seemed to have a fixation on keeping that house clean and tidy at times when we could have been spending precious time together.
If I could live my life over ... something to really think about!
Chatoyant:
I'm sure we all feel the same way about our lives raising our children. I was the same way, had to have a clean house, and God forbid one of the kids spilled a glass of milk, it ruined my whole day.
No, we can't take it back, and I'll bet if you asked the kids about it they wouldn't remember those times.
We tend to be very hard on ourselves, and we shouldn't be. Life kicks us in the butt enough without us doing it to ourselves.
Mmmmmmmm, very clever words mistie
I was lucky to have our only child Amanda when I was ready to appriciate the gift a child is. So I spend heaps of time with her when she was little.
Welcome Hartmut! Glad that you finally found the way!
It Is a nice thought. However, most of us would end up doing the same thing we did the first time around.
au1929, you're probably right! God, I hate to think I'd make those same mistakes again:)
Sometimes I think there are things I'd do over, but mostly I've tried to get away from the what-ifs. Too many of them. What if I hadn't fallen and crushed the bones in my foot and ankle? Would I be wearing high heels today? Pobably not, since I'd given them up before that. Maybe I would have gone back to work earlier - it took me better than five years to learn I couldn't watch soap operas. But those five years also taught me that clean sheets were not a necessity every week (heresy!), since I was doing the laundry and no one came down with a skin problem.
I remember my father telling me if he had everything to do over, he'd still do the same things - he enjoyed most of his life. Looking back, I guess I have too - so far.
If I had my life to live over
Misty, good quotes, and that is exactly how I lived my life. What would I change? I think I would be a little stricter about keeping my youngest into academics (art) instead of skiing, hockey, baseball, etc. I'd also press my oldest to make better grades. He scored very high in SET tests, got a scholarship but we made too much money and his grades were
But, both of them did these things for themselves. That's really AMAZING
I think we question how we would live our lives over when the kids are gone, maybe WAY after their gone, married, and we see our mistakes walking around, even writing books.
Tex-Star
Tex-star: You're right, that's when I started questioning my life, when the kids got much older ... <they're almost as old as me now, teh heh>
I think I'm over it. Sometimes I look back and wonder, but those times are getting further and further apart.
What can you do about it anyway? Nada.
I wouldn't change a thing.
I wouldn't be my parent's daughter if I did. Or my son's mother.
I'm proud of the person I am. (That's not to say there isn't room for improvement.....such is the case with every one of us.)
I would only want to do it over if I could also be smarter and more assertive.
What do you think those changes would make in your life, edgarblythe?
I think I would have dealt with an abusive step father more effectively, for starters. Instead of becoming a shadow I would have made an effort to step out and be a full dimensioned person. I might have not done better, but there would be that potential. I did not free myself from the shadow state of being until many years after my step father had died.
EB: Some of us never step away from the shadow of our real parents either, so it's not just step-parents.
The day you realize you don't have to remain in anybody's shadow, is the day your life begins:)
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