Always Want To Go

What if today is the last day I get? No, no, no. I am not terminally ill or have health issues; I am not depressed or in a funk. I am delighted in my old lady retired life. I love my life; I love being a senior citizen in this world of young people, although sometimes I feel invisible. Still, I don’t want to miss or waste a single day or moment. Not a travel story today but a more serious topic, and serious is not easy for me.

If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I’m about to do today?

Steve Jobs

Many years ago, I began asking myself this question at some point almost every day: What if this is the last day I get? I have always felt so fortunate to have a great life Steve, and I have and to be able to travel to and experience cultures in the beautiful places we’ve visited. We cannot travel internationally now, but we can travel locally and throughout the United States. We purchased our RV (now named Roads) to travel safely in this virus world.

We are so grateful and appreciative that these are extraordinary adventures; however, these experiences are not our day-to-day lives. Questioning whether this is the last day I get reminds me always to enjoy whatever situations and circumstances I find myself in during our everyday ordinary life days. Unfortunately, sometimes the world is not rosy pink, and problems, headaches, and losses pop up unexpectedly. Can you say pandemic? Still, each one of us has only so many allotted days, right? I’ve never seen the point in concentrating time or energy on anything that makes me feel bad or negative. I’m selfish and lazy that way. I don’t mean these bad or painful things can be ignored or require attention and care. Still, I always try to put focus more on the positive aspects of my life.

What if today is the last time I sit on my boathouse watching/listening to seagulls and drinking coffee at sunrise?

What if that is the last giant fluffy cloud formation I see in the sky?

What if this is the last time I “get” to stand in the security line at the airport or cruise terminal? This could, in our pandemic world, actually be a possibility now.

You get the idea.  Everything we do every single day could be for the very last time. Enjoy everything, even traffic during rush hour. Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch; I don’t want to be level ten ridiculous. I do believe that each day is a gift, so don’t put anything, particularly your travel dreams, off until the “right time,” the next day or the following year. Sure, it’s a nightmare COVID world we live in today, and everything we do is severely affected by it. We must always balance daily responsibilities, obligations, and whatever constraints life holds. Those are not easy tasks, and that’s on top of COVID! My daily goal is to experience something new, fun, and exciting each day. That experience could be merely exchanging a smile with the person in front of me at the check-out counter or the stoplight in traffic. That’s not so easy anymore if you’re always wearing a mask. How many times a day do you find yourself smiling at someone only to realize a beat later that they cannot see your smile? I still keep smiling. It’s too natural to change now. I’ve discovered smiles are also in the eyes. I’m sure you’ve noticed this also.

There are no guarantees.  LIVE your life. Steve and I have found it possible to safely get out and about in the world, even this COVID world, and enjoy every moment we have. Yes, we could likely catch THE virus, but again, maybe we won’t. I do not want my life to come to a standstill because of a maybe. As “the elderly,” we are cautious about where we go, who we come in close contact with, we wear masks, we sanitize our hands, and it does slow us down, but it does not stop us.

It would be very disappointing to me to run out of life knowing I had wasted the time I was given. For me, this virus adds push to get out there and experience all we can in life and be grateful for our health and opportunities. These are invaluable resources I do not want to waste.

I wrote this little saga some time ago, but it was brought to my mind last week and is an appropriate subject today in light of our recent tragedy.

Steve’s oldest son, Stephen, Jr., passed away last week. Stephen, Jr., shown here with his son, was 49 years old, too young. Stephen, Jr. had liver failure and has been on a liver transplant list for a short time. He didn’t make it. This painful and traumatic event is an unfortunate reminder to live each day as fully as possible and enjoy all aspects of our lives, just as Stephen, Jr. did.