Someday I'll

I love reading stuff from Zig Ziglar. He always seems to make some great points in ways that even I can understand. Here is another one...

One time we were keeping Timmy, a young cat with a long, fluffy tail for our granddaughter, Sunshine. Somehow he went missing and we spent a considerable amount of time and energy looking for that cat before he was found. That's typical. Most people pull out all stops to recover a pet or a treasured relationship. We would "do anything" to change some things or to have them back.

Question: Doesn't it make sense to pay more attention to friends, relatives, and families whom you love? Are you really too busy to make the phone call, drop a note in the mail, get together for a meal, go for a quiet drive or a long walk, and invest a little time to show that love? Question: Why don't you just make the time?

I don't have a definitive answer, but I believe that in most cases it's more a question of procrastination than of deliberate neglect. We work at a frantic pace and come home to relax. Before we realize it, we've spent several hours relaxing in front of a television set that presents us with programs that make us no happier, healthier, nor give us greater peace of mind.

Don't misunderstand; I believe some TV can be good and can offer company and comfort to shut-ins. But those things are not as important as spending time with those we love and cherish. Most of us plan to do exactly that "someday." But "someday I'll" is a seductive mistress. Deep down we know that our actions this year will parallel our actions of last year and catch us falling back on the old saw of, "I'll call you later," or, "Why don't we get together for lunch?" etc.

Solution: Do it now. We have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow or even an hour from now in our own lives or in the lives of those we love. However, we do know that if we take action now to reinforce or mend some of our relationships, we'll look back with gratitude and say to ourselves, "You know, I'm really glad I took the time."

Message! Spend time with those you love. One of these days you will say either, "I wish I had," or "I'm glad I did."