Food for thought...

I know lots of people who take great pride in the amount of time they spend creating fabulous meals in their kitchens. Those same people are usually the ones who have the Pottery Barn-type furnishings that I never want to bring my toddler twins around.

Don't get me wrong. I do like nice things and a nice, clean house, and my girls do know how to act when they are out and around other people's things. It's just that I am AFRAID to go to those homes. The furniture doesn't look sit-on-able and there is never anything out of place. Personally, I tend to look a little sideways at a person who has small children and an always impeccable house. Either they are tired and about to fall over from running around picking up things every five minutes, or their children are confined to one room in the house. Either scenario is unnatural, in my opinion.

But I digress.

I know how to cook and actually enjoy it on occasion, but most days it really is just something I have to do because food is a necessity of life. As a result, I do not spent oodles of money collecting sets of fancy dinnerware. Take the set in the picture, for example. It is a simple, inexpensive set of dinnerware that we use on a daily basis. If the girls happen to break a dish, no sweat. I didn't pay much for them in the first place... and dishes like the Hoppin' John pictured above taste just as good when served on them. However, I do have an expensive set that is almost NEVER used and is reserved for "special" occasions.

Silly Rabbit. You thought this post was about cooking and dishes, didn't you?

Here is some food for thought.

Why do we reserve things in life for special occasions? Shouldn't every day that we're alive be a special occasion? Is there ever really a time when the golden flatware is appropriate? Why not use the fine china just because it's a Tuesday? As I resolve to spend more time working on ME this year, I think each of us can benefit from taking a moment and finding that one thing in our lives that we have been reserving for special occasions. Is it the good wine? The platinum cuff links? The diamond earrings Grandma gave you on your wedding day? How about something as simple as time? Life is now. If we're not special to ourselves NOW, then when will the right time be? How can we truly say we live life to the fullest when we're not even willing to treat every day like it's special. Live life now, People, because tomorrow may be too late.

Seriously. Live life now. Start today.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
-Anonymous