A good report from the doctor when an ugly report was possible can make us realize there are some things we shouldn’t put off another day. Often that’s what it takes to get our attention — a second (or third, or fourth) opportunity at life and additional time to get our priorities in order — to do what’s important and do it now.
My nephew, Jeff, is recovering from a serious illness and now more than ever understands that the small things matter, like having a co-signer on your checking account and your doctor’s business card in your wallet.
But because of Jeff’s illness, he, and others affected by it, have also realized how little time we have left in this life on Earth. We plan for tomorrow, next week and next year when we’re guaranteed only two seconds today — maybe.
So we promise to adopt new attitudes, to forgive and ask forgiveness, to reconnect with friends and family. Yes, next Sunday we’ll go back to church and “get our house in order” while we still have a normal day or two.
For starters, I’m tackling the junk in my house. Using 12 long and wide storage boxes, one for each month, I put Valentine’s Day decorations in the February box, fireworks-covered paper goods into July, and in the September box, I put new crayons for back-to-school gifts. Opening a box each month, I use up what’s in it, add items if I must, but only as long as the lid will close.
I recognize the need to finish the bathroom that’s been in various stages of remodel for years. We rip shelves off the walls, consider upgrading to a Cadillac toilet, then think about cabinets of white wood or oak. But neither oak nor flushing efficiency matter when a motorcycle skids through an intersection or a blood vessel explodes and you’re loaded into an ambulance. I won’t waste another afternoon wandering aimlessly around the home improvement store only to come home with a pair of cotton work gloves and a box of citrus food. I’ll choose oak and double flush and be done with it.
Why do we collect this stuff? My stack of greeting cards and stationery needs to be sorted according to occasions and used up. The Christmas stamps stuck to some envelopes are 32 centers. What does that tell me about their age? The card that states “For Someone Special, I Can’t Imagine Life Without You.” Funny, I can’t remember who I bought it for. My USA souvenir spoon collection is a joke. Most of the spoons were made in China. My cookbook collection numbers 38 — these days I cook enough to warrant keeping four.
The postcards from here there and everywhere are going to a class of English language learners. I’ll give craft projects to people who will finish them, share photos with relatives who will treasure them and donate books to a library where someone will actually read them. Do I want my family to put a Dumpster in the driveway and sort through this mess when I can no longer suggest what goes where?
One of my favorite songs is a soulful rendition of “People Get Ready” performed by Grammy-award winner Rod Stewart:
“People get ready
There’s a train a-coming
You don’t need no ticket,
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesel’s humming
Don’t need no ticket
You just thank the Lord
People get ready
For the train to Jordan
Picking up passengers
From coast to coast
Faith is the key
Open the doors and board them
There’s room for all
Amongst the loved the most.”
He’s not singing about the Union Pacific.”
Donna Hampton is El Centro resident.
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