A la carte Life

March 4, 2010

"The doorbell rang. Startled, because my doorbell never rings, it took a moment to register. Dressed in old clothes and ball cap, I was just about to go outside and clean out my car. Setting down the bucket, sponge, rags, face mask, Lysol and rubber gloves, I realized the distraction may have saved me from doing something really crazy…manual labor.

Hushing the canine crew’s excited barking I dodged a speeding fur ball (kitten), and walked down the hallway toward the front door. “Did I order something?” I muttered to the animals scampering around my feet. Not that they would respond. But I was hoping one of them remembered seeing me with my credit card, phone and remote control. Instead, they were oblivious to the possibilities of what lay beyond the front door.

Anticipating someone lost, or in need of a telephone, I slowly opened the door. But no one was there. I glanced from side to side… still no one. One of the crew bumped my leg, and as I looked down to see which dog it was, I saw it… a box. Yes, there on my front porch sat a small nondescript box not much bigger than a gallon of ice cream. (Wait, off sugar. Okay, the size of a child’s shoe box?)

As I opened the screen door I could see something written on the top of the package in bold black letters. It read, “YOUR LIFE.” Oh boy! I thought. My ‘life’ has finally arrived. Picking it up I was surprised at how little it weighed. In fact, it didn’t feel like it weighed anything at all. Turning it over and examining every side, I then held it up to my ear and gave it a little shake. Not a sound. Dickens, I couldn’t wait to open it and see what was inside. After all, it was MY LIFE…in a box."

Friends, life doesn’t happen this way. Life doesn’t arrive on our doorstep in an ambiguous square object just waiting for us to open it and enjoy. Life isn’t an info-mercial that you watch and place your order any way you want it. If it was, my box would have, at least, had a yacht in it. But that’s just me.

Unfortunately, life isn’t a la carte. But do you wish it were? Do you ever wish your life would change, or things could be better, happier, healthier or more exciting? Do you think… if only… and daydream about when your life will get better?

When exactly would that be? When you get another job? When you pay off a few more bills? When the kids go off to college or graduate from high school? When you meet the right person or the wrong one goes away? When will your life arrive on your doorstep?

Well, friends your life is happening NOW. Like it or not, it’s yours. Yet, if you aren’t happy with your life, only you can change it. This requires deciding on your options… and we ALL have options. Just so we’re clear, things that aren’t options are… robbing a bank, shooting the neighbor’s barking dog, or drowning your mother-in-law in the backyard pool. Other than anything considered ‘criminal intent’, you can make positive choices for your life, thus implementing positive changes.

Take my life for instance. Over the last several months everything that could possibly fall to pieces, has. No area of my life has been immune to this unbelievable chain of events. Having been under a lot of stress lately, admittedly, I have not handled some issues very well. But I have identified my options and will execute them accordingly. Do I wish the life I dream about would show up in a box on my front porch? Why YES! But that’s not going to happen, so I have to make it happen.

Since life is not a ‘special delivery’ we have to decide what we want, and focus our attention there. And if we want it bad enough, we can usually find a way to make it happen. So when life goes in an unexpected direction, we have to remain strong enough to keep our focus and continue moving forward. Friends, if your life needs changing, the time is NOW to make those changes.

I leave you with one thought… Life is terminal, enjoy every moment of yours.

"Can you imagine" …life a la carte?

Put your smile on!

CanYouImagine@charter.net | www.BobbiGSpeaks.com | www.theBobbiGspot.com