Smell the Roses

You know often times, as humans, there is an extreme oversight of those things that truly make life worth living. There are thoughts that with all of the hustle and bustle, we tend to forget to be appreciative of the small stuff. I have to admit that there are many times that I find myself complaining about every little thing that goes wrong. There are a lot of times we fall short of the acknowledgement to be mindful of what we have. Decent health, the ability to walk, run, laugh, see, and other things are things that are often taken for granted daily. Why do we have the need or even the belief that life should be close to perfect? We know that we are alive and learning when we feel the pain, difficulty and discomfort associated with simply being human. I went to the gym the other day and worked out for only a short period of time. I complained mentally the entire time. After my workout, I went out to sit down and wait for my workout partner. While waiting I continued to listen to my music on my iPod. For some reason my thoughts were focused on two young guys that were completing a mat work out. I was admiring the dedication that they displayed towards their workouts and wished that I had the same level of dedication. The next thing that I saw warmed my heart and allowed me to experience, if only for a couple of hours, a very high level of appreciation for life and my personal gifts and abilities. You know, as humans we get so caught up in life that we get numb with regards to our feelings. We do not have the time because we are focused on the things that must be done and getting to our next destination. Anyway, I noticed that one of these young men had an inhaler. I know that people live a full and happy life with asthma, but I thought to myself that I wish that I could be half as dedicated as his young man who had this challenge in front of him, yet he did not allow this challenge to stop him. My message is to take the time and smell the roses, and do not just let life pass you by. Live in the moment!