Way back in the early 80’s, two friends and I went camping one weekend at Devil’s Lake State Park. It’s one of my favorite places in the world. Hiking the bluffs. Swimming in the warm lake. The smell of campfire and pine. All of it.
Both mornings we were rudely awakened by the biggest, blackest crow I’ve ever seen. Loud and obnoxious. It called just as the sun came up and would not stop. It was on a branch of a tall pine tree that hung over our tent.
Hugh or Mike had enough, and one of them crawled out of the tent and threw stones at the crow to get it to move away from us. He failed. The crow never budged and taunted us with its call. Wake up!
Years later, after Kim gave birth to our daughter, Hannah, she would wake us up in the middle of the night to get her diaper changed and to have a bottle. Hannah was tiny. After I changed her diaper, I would sit in the rocking chair in her room, and feed her a bottle. I almost had to force-feed her. She wanted to sleep. She would start out staring at me intently, her tiny hands wrapped around my fingers (and my heart), and drink her bottle. But soon, I’d have to wake her up to drink some more. This routine began after she’d cry out to us. Wake up!
Now, it’s just Kim and me rattling around in our big house with our two dogs, Daisy and Stella. Kim gets up way early to do her running before it gets too hot. Each and every morning. I sleep in. Or at least, I try to sleep in.
Kim will let the dogs out to take care of their business, and usually Daisy will race to the back fence facing our woods and bark at something. A brown bunny. Sometimes deer. Rarely, a fox. But her barking wakes me up. Probably our neighbors too. Kim runs to get her away from the fence and into the house, but her barking wakes me up. I might doze off again. More times than not, I toss and turn, and finally get up.
I was reminded in my morning devotional about something called a “death clock.” You open it up, type in your age, when you were born, answer a few questions, and presto, it tells you when you are going to die.
My question is, who would want to know that? Why?
I think I prefer to not know. I would prefer to live my life happily and blissfully ignorant of when I might die. I’m not interested to know when my death might occur.
I believe that if we are focused on our death and what might become of us, we lose focus on living in the here and now. We lose the joy of each day and what each day brings to us. We lose the surprises of each day.
I’m
not naïve. I know there are disappointments. I know there is failure. I know
there is sorrow. I know there is struggle and pain. I know that.
But I also know there is incredible joy in each day. There is joy in life and living. There is love. There is happiness. There is success. I know this too.
I would rather focus on beginning each day positively and fully. I would rather focus on all that life presents to us. The possibilities. The maybes. After all, life deserves to be lived. We deserve to live. Whether it is a crow, a crying baby, or a barking dog, Wake Up! Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
I have an author's
website, in addition to my Facebook Author’s Page. On it, I talk about
writing. I introduce characters from my books, and I introduce readers to other
authors. I also release snippets from those books. Mostly, it is my way of
reaching out to you so that you get to know my author side of life. You can
find it at: https://jrlewisauthor.blog/
The Lives
Trilogy and Prequel are now available in both paperback, kindle and nook through
both Amazon and Barnes & Noble! The links are below! I appreciate all the
texts, requests, and messages I have been receiving. Thanks for your support
and interest. I edited and revised each book. I am pleased with the results. I
am thankful to BRW for their continued belief in me and in my writing. I hope
you will rediscover or perhaps discover the Lives
Trilogy and Prequel.
Outnumbered and
outgunned, George will make the ultimate sacrifice to protect his adoptive
father and his adoptive brothers- but can he? Without knowing who these men
are? Or where they are? Without knowing whom to trust? Is he prepared for
betrayal that leads to his heartbreak and possible death? http://bit.ly/SplinteredLives
Photo courtesy of Warren Wong and Unsplash
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment. I welcome your thought. Joe