need a wake-up call?

Today was our 16th wedding anniversary! 

Like most days, I'm spontaneous and like to "grab the bull by the horns", as they say... I'm a "live by the seat of my pants" kinda gal :)

Tonight, we're strolling the streets of Hoboken and we needed a PNC bank ATM machine... used my ever so faithful phone to locate one nearby... wholla... only several blocks away in a medical center... no problem!

There it is... right inside the lobby... what?  The doors are locked!?   Being the resourceful and persistant woman I've become, I quickly come up with a great idea... just enter the emergency room and walk right thru that hospital to my destination!
 
As expected, David tried to convince me to walk the eight or so blocks to the next PNC location but I refused and suggested he wait outside.  Wow!  I could feel the adrenaline build as I became more and more determined to NOT let a locked door get in the way of my goal!  Guess I should tell you we have lived here almost thirteen years and it's been, at least, that long since we've stepped into a hospital for any reason.

Okay, now, this is my purpose for telling you my story... do you need a wake-up call?  Are you taking moments for granted?  Have you forgotten that life is short and we don't know when it's going to end?

Surprisingly, David decides to follow me on my quest... we walk right in as if we belong there.  We pass nurses, doctors, crying family members... there had to be at least twenty different emergency rooms with those familiar curtains... it seemed most were open and we could see the people lying there.  The beeping sounds of multiple machines were piercing... we quickly walked right thru... it was as if we were invisible... I kept thinking of the emergency room scenes in the movie "Ghost".

Success!  Found the lobby/ cafeteria area we had seen from the street and arrived at our destination... that ATM!   Of course, David seemed numb from the adventure and kept rolling his eyes at me.  I chatted with the security guard and off we went... one more trip thru that emergency room!  I looked closer at the people... maybe some would go home, but how many of them are about to take a journey into the great unknown?  Their time here has come to an end?  How many of those people are lying there, hearing that "beep, beep, beep, beep"... wondering... regretting things they never did?   Asking themselves "what if"?
 
I left that place with an unbelievable zest for life... more so than before!  What a "gift" to be reminded how precious it is to be able to walk right out and continue with my life!  I'm not ready to be lying on my deathbed... I'm not done yet!
 
It's been hours and I still feel the "goosebumps" of that experience!  I had to share this.  Sooooo, my friends, if you ever feel like you're in a slump and need a swift kick in the backside... walk thru your neighborhood emergency room and get your much needed wake-up call!   Just saying...

The Cab Ride

The Cab Ride I arrived at the address and honked the horn. after waiting a few minutes I walked to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.. 'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.' 'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice. I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice.. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like me to take?' I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. 'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL You won't get any big surprise in 10 days if you send this to ten people. But, you might help make the world a little kinder and more compassionate by sending. it on and reminding us that often it is the random acts of kindness that most benefit all of us. Thank you, my friend... Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

making your life count...

How fast time flies by? I planned on writing something every day but didn't quite succeed, did !? My grandmother used to tell me, when I was a little girl, that as we grow older, time seems to go by much faster. She was so right... years fly by and, before we know it, we're older than Elvis Presley was when he unfortunately passed away. I remember thinking he was much older when he died... and just last night, realized that I've outlived him by three years... scary.

This reaffirmed what I've already been contemplating... we must do in life all that we truly feel we are called to do. We don't want to be lying on our deathbed, in the hospital... and hearing the beeping sound of that machine next to us... and wonder "what if?" My dad once told me that... the image and sound has left a lasting impression.

David and I still have so much we feel we are called to do... we will have to make bigger strides than most because we are playing catch-up, in a way. In our hearts... he is a fashion designer and I am an actress. Only God knows for sure if we will achieve what is in our hearts... if we don't... it's because He has an even better plan and hopefully we are already on His path.

Okay, I'm sentimental and cheesy... so I will leave you with one of my favorite songs... drum roll please... Donny Osmond sings Mary Did You Know!