Funny how the smallest things can set me off—I spent the entire day yesterday just reeling from the letter I received from them. In my defense, I was TRYING to focus on what I SHOULD be doing— instead of wasting energy devising a way to show them just how wrong they are and how unfairly they have treated me. (sweet little ole me…can you imagine?!!)

It didn’t go as smoothly as I planned. I was off and on….but mostly off. A floating thought of what I could say to make them see the “errors of their ways” would show up, and I would jot it down wherever I could—paper   plates, the back of the light bill, and the top of my left hand. I lost a whole day…a day that could’ve been spent writing productively, and not transferring my frustration to my eight year old daughter, who just wanted   to play.

I once heard “If you’re not going to stay mad, why be mad at all?” Well, a night’s sleep can do wonders, and here I am at “the page” again … the emotion is gone, and it has been replaced with something else—perspective.

God has not given me this little gift of his “first hand” this time. He is allowing me to experience it through others. I am reminded that there are those that would move mountains to have my so called “problems”. Those who have lost loved ones recently (especially under unexpected circumstances) would gladly trade my plumbing fiasco for five minutes more with the one they so deeply miss— people that are searching through body bags in Peru, holding on for hope at a Utah mine, clutching dog tags to their heart from one that won’t make it home from Afghanistan.

And then there is the family just down the street from me, who lost their beloved wife and mother to an illness that spread through her like wildfire—too soon, too early.

I get the message. I will no longer waste emotion and time on petty things. Anger, doubt, gossip, worry, whatever. Life is definitely too short, but that may not be all of the story….maybe we should say “life’s too RICH” ….maybe we should start focusing on how to make the best use of the time we have here, regardless of how long we’ve been given.

How much time do we spend with wasted emotions, stealing precious moments from our lives and our family? Why can’t we recognize this trash for what it is right away, and choose not to entertain the negativity? Yes, Life is too RICH. There’s just too much to do, see, appreciate and love. So as Erma said right before she died, “seize every minute…look at it and really see it…live it….and never give it back.”

I have come to discover, if you live richly for a short time, it’s better than living superficially for 100 years.