Do Not Regret Growing Older…

I saw this photo on Pinterest (aka the mothership) this weekend…  strangely enough, one year to the day that one of our closest friends on the planet unexpectedly and tragically lost her younger brother, Ryan.  He was more full of life, love, charisma, spirit and laughter than anyone you will ever meet, and he was 25.

The poignant words under that bottle cap serve as a reminder of how PROFOUNDLY lucky we all are just to even be here day in & day out…  to hear the dull gurgle of the coffee maker in the morning, to sit in standstill traffic, to watch our 401(k)’s deplete, to get to fall in love, to pay bills, to wonder how we’re going to pay bills, to spot grey hairs and crow’s feet, to have things *cough* not sitting up where they used to, to spend Christmases & Thanksgivings with our loved ones, to pick out the right melon at the grocery store, to get our cars towed at the least opportune times, to take the dog for a walk on a gorgeous fall day, to watch football on a lazy Sunday afternoon, to lose your cell phone and wallet at a Bears tailgate after you have one too many pops…

The point is, I think, that things aren’t always shiny and perfect – life is tough, and quite often a hot mess.  But dang.  It’s rolled up into one huge ball with so many wwwwwwwonderful things that it’s kind of a beautiful mess…  right??  And no matter how mundane or how difficult things can get every now & then, we all still get to be here…  that is extraordinary in and of itself, and something never ever to be taken for granted.  We all still have time to right a wrong, to start over, or tell someone how much we love them.  To find the sublime in the ordinary of our everyday lives.  Ever heard that saying, “Everything will be okay in the end.  If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.” (?)  We all still get to keep on keepin’ on.  That bottle cap brings so many things into perspective, but in any case, from now on I will celebrate every wrinkle, saddlebag, glimmer of cellulite and white hair that ever finds its way onto my person.  Cause it’s a glorious sign that I’m still lucky enough to be here.

PS:  to Leetol Ryan – who we will never feel is really gone because his sweet spirit lives on in so many who knew him and in his baby girl, Halie…  and to our 2nd family, the Hobleys, we love you guys so so much!

xoxo,