“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be." ~ Psalm
39:4
With her biggest sales pitch just
an hour away, Kara hadn’t slept well last night. Overcaffeination rendered her mind lethargic.
Racing through a crowded airport, Kara realized she’d left her
iPhone on the hotel shuttle. She
borrowed a phone to call he own iPhone and ask that the driver please return it.
As the call connected, something terribly embarrassing
happened. Right there, surrounded by
thousands of commuters, her bra started ringing. She’d forgotten about tucking the iPhone in her
bra. That’s the moment she decided that hectic
her life needed to change.
No longer would she wear being ‘overbooked’ as a badge of
honor? Her calendar would have to include more than
conference calls, work deadlines, and other people’s needs.
At 27, it was time to start living the story she wanted to fondly
look back on.
So, on a fitfully, cold winter evening, Kara entered the
front doors of a nearby nursing home and asked to visit their ‘loneliest’
resident. Their nomination sat quietly
in room 109.
She knocked on the door intending to deliver a gift … but
discovered one instead: a 98-year-old woman named Stella.
When Kara asked about the best moments of her life,
excitement washed over Stella’s face like sunshine through fine white linen; she
glowed from the inside out.
Not what Kara expected; how could this frail woman feel so alive
tucked away in a place like this? She listened
intently as Stella regaled her life story - glowing about the ways she’d
collected fascinating memories.
Stella beamed about a rebellious love that lasted for
decades. They chuckled together when she
tallied up the outlandish risks of her youth.
She’d experienced the ultimate luxury that Kara sought but couldn’t buy
– a life well lived.
Despite living in this small, beige-colored room and without
visitors for several months, nothing could take away the satisfaction a life
well lived gave Stella now.
During the hour and a half they spent together sharing
stories and laughing, Stella passionately urged Kara to make time for exciting
life experiences. It was the single most
important piece of advice she wanted Kara to remember, even asking the girl to
promise that she would.
Driving home, Kara steered through mournful tears. She barely remembered her early twenties. Probably because she never slowed down long
enough to actually live them. She’d been
asleep at the wheel; a life on autopilot.
From today forward, Kara’s life would
never be the same again. Collecting
experiences, adventures and face time with amazing people would become at least,
if not more important than most
other tasks and obligations.
Lord, thank You for the gift of life. Please calm my hurried heart. Prompt me to slow down when needed? Help
me experience Your heavenly tranquility and I’ll praise Your holy name. Amen
