The Best Time Of My Life
It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, "What was the best time of your life?"
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, "Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question:
"When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time of my life.
"When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.
"When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.
"When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.
"The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life.
"When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.
"When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.
"And now, Joe, I am seventy-nine years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life."
Author Unknown
Things to Remember
Your life was a gift to the world, do not throw it away recklessly.
You are unique and one of a kind, no one else is quite like you.
You can make your life be anything you want it to be.
Remember life is what you make of it, both good and bad.
Look at what you have, not what you don't have and be grateful.
Remember you will make it through life's obstacles, you have no choice.
All answers lie within you, all you must do is look.
Have courage, be strong, and remember to enjoy the ride.
Do not take things too seriously.
Live a life of appreciation, not a life of regrets.
Realize that it is never too late.
Do ordinary things in an extraordinary ways.
Do not limit yourself.
Dare to dream, dream to live.
Take the time to walk on a beach, hug a friend, smile at a stranger.
Take time to enjoy what life has given to you, not what it has not.
And never forget you are here for a reason.
Never forget just how special you are.
To Risk Everything
To laugh is to risk appearing a fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk rejection.
To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken...
because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or love.
Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave.
He has forfeited his freedom.
Only a person who takes risks is free.- Author Unknown