Think about this!

[Gary Lange]

READ THIS VERY SLOWLY... IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they

haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it

was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up

dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then

on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't

suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the

word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you

watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to

lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, "I can't. I have

clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had

a late breakfast, It looks like rain." And my personal favorite: "It's

Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our

headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when

all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained.

We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet We'll go on a second

honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and

the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and

all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan

on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and

available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm

for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're

ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller-blades and skip an

elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's

just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and

eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and

bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I

would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to.....not something

on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone

call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are

you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to

you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the

rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or

gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the

fly? When you ask "How are you? " Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores

running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow."

And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good

friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....

Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before

the song is over.

It's National Friendship and FAMILY WEEK Show your friends how much you

care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to

you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.

To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all

you do.

"Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here, we might

as well dance

[Danoinark]

Very nice Gary and thanks for this reminder...Dano