Are Happy Endings Overrated?
I think that happy endings are overrated. What about the happy now? A couple of events late last year woke me up to the fact that the future isn't guaranteed. Life is meant to be lived now, not in some faraway future.
So forget retiring and finally getting to enjoy your life. Forget winning the lottery. Forget about about how amazing life will be when you finally get that big promotion/bonus/set up your own business.
This is it. There is no past, no future. Only now. THIS moment is special. But for some reason we often wait for some special occasion or reason to celebrate....
The champagne story
When I was a teenager, my father was given a magnum of Perrier Jouet in a beautiful hand painted bottle. Never one for delayed gratification I wanted him to open it straightway but I was told we had to wait for a special occasion. Over the years special occasions came and went. My/my sister's 18th, 21st, graduation, wedding, my parents' first/second/third/fourth/fifth grandchild, the grandchildren's 18th/21st/graduations and so on. Thirty years went by and still the bottle went unopened. I began to feel at a loss as to what occasion would ever be special enough to warrant opening this damn champagne!
Finally last Christmas he decided that today was the day. It was too late. The champagne had been kept too long. It was flat, smelled awful and the whole lot went down the plughole.
Don't save yourself...
So my advice is this. Don't wait for special occasions. No waiting for New Year/Valentines/birthdays/retirement/weddings/bonus. Don't save yourself for the future.
Don't tuck your best away in drawers/cupboards/your heart. Wear your most gorgeous clothes. Use your good plates everyday. Drink that bottle of champagne you've been saving. Light that gorgeous scented candle you've got tucked away. Put your favourite perfume on. Use the super expensive body cream. Stop doing stuff you don't want to to do. Start doing stuff you do want to do. Dance. Sing. Eat delicious food. Ditch the energy vampires, Surround yourself with those who give you positive vibes. Take your best loving off the shelf and share it.
Declare that your today is the special occasion.