If we’re friends on Facebook, you know that the Sports Dude and I have a lot of fun. My kids have a lot of fun. We have a lot of fun. When we got back from our latest trip, I heard from several people that they live vicariously through our posts, and look forward to the pictures and things that we share. I was a bit taken aback by that. I enjoy sharing bits and pieces (and sometimes huge chunks) of my life, because I am so enjoying my life and I want to share that. It’s also easier than making individual calls to my mom, dad, three sisters, sister-in-law, brother and numerous nieces, nephews and friends, giving each of them an individual update. It’s simple, really. If you want to know what’s going on in my life, go to my Facebook page. So, when I saw this floating around Facebook recently, Nurse reveals the top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed, I had to pause and take the “test”:
- I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
- I wish I didn’t work so hard.
- I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
- I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
- I wish that I had let myself be happier.
Phew. I passed the test. To me, happiness and enjoying your life are choices. You can be miserable, or you can do something about it. Living your life fully and happily doesn’t mean quitting your job, leaving your marriage, getting into yoga and meditation, reconnecting with childhood friends, and rekindling a romance with your high school sweetheart. It did for me, but your path to happiness is unique and your own. Today I am happy because I choose to be. I am fully engaged in the lives of my kids, my husband and my friends. I love my job and my career. I have more energy to give to everything, because my energy isn’t being zapped by depression, and trying to “act” as if I am happy, engaged, etc. Yes, I will admit, the Sports Dude and I have a lot of fun. But we also deal with illness, sadness and heartache.
- SD still needs a couple surgeries until he can be removed from the DL and back to work full time.
- One of my dearest friend’s husband died last week after battling cancer.
- On top of that, one of our mutual friends, who flew in to help this week, flew out last night as her brother died suddenly.
But through it all, there is a sense of purpose and peace amongst us all, because we have collectively chosen to live our lives to their fullest. So, please, enjoy my pictures, but go take some of your own. You don’t have to go on a cruise to to Mexico to have fun and live life to the fullest. You can hike to the top of the mountain, or down to the shore. You can find the simple things in a concert in the park, or strolling around a local zoo. I’m sure my posts will return to all things legal marketing when my heart is there, but just for today, I am much more than just a legal marketer. I am a mom, a wife, a friend, and I have no problems sharing those with the collective you. They are what differentiate me from the next person. And, isn’t that really what legal marketing is all about??