Seize the Day and Love the Moment You Are Experiencing

My mom always had a phrase that came out when she was enjoying life to the fullest and the phrase was, “this is living.”  I could name a thousand different instances over my lifetime that I heard my mom say these words. It may have been on Christmas eve when we were eating scallops, when we were sinking into new theatre seats that reclined, or when she was getting a 70% discount on her birthday dinner at the Montana Club in Missoula (you got a % off for each year of your birthday).  If mom received a new Yankee Candle as a gift, she would have the candle lit in less than 10 minutes.  It made no difference if the candle was a Christmas candle that she received for her birthday on November 4.  The pine candle was set ablaze. If she received chocolates or a food gift, she would immediately open the gift and take a bite. She did not wait for a later date or time to enjoy what was in front of her.

My mom died of cancer five years ago, very soon after being diagnosed. I am glad she did not stockpile her Yankee Candles or freeze her gourmet candies and food to be used for something special in the future. My mom enjoyed what was in front of her as life was unfolding and made a point out of enjoying those special moments, places, people, or things that brought her joy.

Like many people who have experienced the loss of a parent, I often see things that remind me of my mom.  At our last stay at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, our key card portrayed an abstract background with the phrase “This is the life” written on it.  Semantics aside, it was same message as the one my mom loved to use.  Lying by the fountained pools and enjoying that beautiful hotel was living. 

My husband and I went to Italy and Greece last summer with my brother and sister-in-law.  The trip was a thirty-year anniversary celebration for my brother and sister-in-law, as well as a “we made it through hell” celebration after losing both my mom and dad over the past four years.  It was a wonderful adventure and one that I will never forget.  The topic of how much my mom would have loved that trip and how happy she would be knowing that we were taking this trip all together was brought up on several occasions during the planning and traveling phases of the vacation.  While touring Pompeii, we were shown a floor mosaic of a skeleton holding wine containers.  The point of the mosaic was to remind people to enjoy life fully while you can.  It was a visual “carpe diem” to enjoy and seize Earthly pleasures while you can because, death comes.  The mosaic was yet another amazing reminder and memory of my mom enjoying life in the moment and not being afraid to take pleasure as it comes.

I used to stockpile my good smelling candles and save the expensive chocolates or smoked salmon for something special.  I no longer do that. Life has shown me that tomorrow is not guaranteed, nor anything I have much control over. What is the point of waiting? Life is happening right now so I light the candle, enjoy the chocolate, take the trip, make the memory and most of all, remember to take pleasure in all these things because, this is living.