Wasting Time

I was sitting here this morning thinking about time.  Why do some people waste so much time being angry?  If not angry then hurt, bitter, offended, or they hold grudges, sometimes for a lifetime.  I am just trying to figure out exactly what it accomplishes.  What is the payoff for them?  Do you know that I can honestly say there is nothing that I am not willing to forgive someone for if they apologize to me?  If someone hurts you and they apologize and you do not forgive them, what does that really accomplish?  You wait until they are dead and gone and then you have regrets or guilt, sometimes angry at yourself for not getting closure with them.  Speaking for myself, I have done and said some terrible things in my life.  Things that looking back now I am ashamed of.  I have hurt those I love, even strangers because I felt justified at the time, or I was not even considering how I was making them feel.  But I work on bettering myself everyday.  My attitude and how I handle certain situations.  I still mess up, I can still spout off hateful things in the heat of the moment, but that doesn’t mean I am proud of it.  It doesn’t mean that I am not sorry for causing someone hurt.  

The truth is, I don’t want to spend the majority of my time here on earth being angry, mean, hurtful, bitter, vindictive, etc.  I want to be as happy as I can possibly be.  My true happiness comes from the happiness I can bring to others.  Not just my family and friends but to strangers that I encounter everyday.  I make an effort to think of little things that might help someone.  Smile at strangers, compliment them, and just engage in conversation with them.  Sometimes people just want someone to talk to, to listen.  Telling someone they have pretty eyes or a pretty smile.  Complimenting their shoes, petting their dog, or winking at them!  When I am a reason for making someone feel better, it makes me feel better.  Who doesn’t want to feel better??  There are just some people who are negative from the time they wake up until they lay down at night.  They want to complain about the weather, the politics, the media, the television shows, people who are different from them, the music, their family, their friends, and the list goes on.  They never seem to be happy.  Where is the pay off in that?  What do they have to look forward to everyday?  Does that not sound like the most depressing and sad life a person could have??  

I was asked the other day if I could have anything in this world that I could have what would it be besides a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.  My answer came swift.  I would want the ability to have my daughter, son and grandbabies close to me.  I would give just about anything to see them all the time and kiss their sweet faces.  I would hug them everyday and just enjoy their presence.  I would cherish every single giggle and every little smile.  I would take them to the park and the ice cream place.  I would go shopping with my daughter and we would get our nails done.  I would have lunch with my son and we would talk about anything and everything.  I would not want to waste one single minute that I had with them.  But reality is, they live far away and probably will always live far away.  So what I do is cherish every moment that I have with them.  When we can’t be together in person, we text, Face time, or keep up on Facebook.  I love having the ability to wake up each morning eternally grateful that I exist.  I am blessed to have a roof over my head, food on my table and an amazing husband and son to hug every day.  I can still walk, drive, and make intelligent decisions.  I can still learn, laugh, and forgive.  I can make new friends, and stay in touch with old ones.  I can pet my dog and cuddle with her.  I can visit my parent’s everyday, my sisters, and take walks with my son.  The point of this writing is making the most out of every minute that we have here on this earth.  Every minute that you spend angry, you lose happiness.  Every minute that you spend bitter, you lose forgiveness.  Every minute that you spend gossiping, you lose positive communication.

Every minute that you spend hating, you lose Love.