It's easy to forget the importance of everything. But there is nothing like being in an emergency room filled with sad, scared faces to put life in perspective. Today, a gloomy, rain-filled day, was spent fretting about the state of my dog and waiting for her as she received treatment for an allergic reaction in the emergency vet clinic. In the waiting room, I was surrounded by people who were apparently facing much more serious situations with their pets. One woman was sitting in a corner, box of tissues on her lap, tears running down her face as her husband patted her hand gently. It was a terribly sad moment and I felt awkward sitting there across the room, knowing my dog only needed a quick shot and a medicated bath and she would be back to her old self. As forlorn as the mood was in that waiting room, with the rain running down the window panes like over-sized tears, I felt a surge of gratitude. I was grateful for the health of my dog. I was grateful for the 24-hour clinic that was open late in the day on Saturday to help her. Though I felt terribly sad for the couple sitting across from me, I had hope that maybe their pet would be okay, and, if not, maybe they would have the great fortune that I have had to lose a much loved pet and then, months later, fall in love again with a new one. As I was sitting in the waiting room, I was grateful for all of the wonderful times I'd had with my pets and was awed by the idea that someday I could be sitting in that couple's place, stricken with the potential of loss.
Today was a difficult day for me to focus on the positive. The weather alone was enough to send even the most upbeat person into a downward spiral of depressive thoughts. But I had the emergency room to remind me: life is precious. Life is uncertain. You never know what may happen and, even though it only happens once in your lifetime, this day could be your last day. These words are often said, but even more often ignored or passed off as cliched nonsense. I, myself, have been just the type of person that would say, "Sure, today could be my last, but it's probably not going to be so whatever." In the past, I would have heard those words -- "today could be your last" or "today could be the last day of someone you love" -- and I would have let them blow right by me. I wouldn't have stopped and thought that maybe there is a deeper meaning that. Maybe I need to think about how I act every single day and make those actions the kind that would leave the lasting impression that I would like to leave on the world, considering this very well could be my last day.
I am starting to accept this more, this idea that life is short. Perhaps it is because I am getting older; perhaps it is because I'm getting wiser. For whatever reason, I feel like I can't seem to remind myself enough just how precious life is. There are so many things we all take for granted -- small things, big things, happy things, sad things. Like I said before, it's easy to forget the importance of everything. Every single moment matters and it is up to us make it count. When you are feeling angry or bitter or unhappy, think about a waiting room moment. Think about waiting for the outcome of results for someone you love. Think about who would be sitting there with you, holding your hand. Morbid as it might sound, moments like these really put life into perspective, and, difficult as it is to experience them, if we did it more often we might find that we have more perspective, more positivity, and more of a sense of presence in our lives. Use these thoughts to remind you just how important everything truly is. Put yourself in an imaginary waiting room and you will most certainly find you have a new perspective on whatever unpleasant situation you are in.
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