Our lives are busy. with calendars full. Responsibilities are many making free time scarce. We embrace our routines and habits much more out of convenience rather than intention.
The danger of convenience filled with automatic routines is where we begin to overlook the value of things that are important to us. Taking things for granted is the result of our busyness. It’s a fertile place for things to slowly die from inattention. Gone before we know it in “the blink of an eye”.
Our health is the best example of this. As long as we are healthy we don’t pay close attention to our weight, blood pressure, exercise or what we eat. Until one day we become sick. A doctor’s diagnosis sends us on a series of visits. Leading us to prescriptions and changes in our life as we struggle with our newly found chronic illness. Good health never to return again.
Marriage or significant relationships easily are taken for granted. Accepting the way the other person is without any further exploration. Familiarity and proximity extinguish the interest to surprise. Never trying to do more for the other. Instead we sleep walk through our time together until one day, someone says enough. Creating loss and pain through a sudden separation.
Friendship filled with always being there together. In person. By phone. Or text. Until our busyness causes us to not stay in contact. Waiting for the other person to make the first move. Losing the laughter and good times along the way. Never knowing what pain the other carries in their heart. A friendship that once provided safety is now abandoned because we took it for granted.
A successful business or a run of good luck causes us to coast. Fooling ourselves into thinking that there is no more to do for we have arrived. Forgetting the struggle, long hours, and sacrifices made that created the momentum. Once taking it for granted that it will last forever, together with our new life of ease, slowly steals our future while sealing our destiny to face struggle again.
Each of us can share a story in our heart from a time we took something for granted. Lessons learned? Again we create stories of blame rather than searching for a root cause. Leaving us puzzled, hurt, and torn from life’s cruel lessons.
Our only hope is to find quiet in our lives to search for what is important in our hearts. Then being vigilant and present to work at keeping them close. By pushing away busyness when importance calls. While being first to overcome distance when hints appear. Nurturing the joy of life in everything we choose to do by always being attentive and present.
Promising to never take anything for granted again. Never. For it is much too dangerous to lose those things we deem so dear and important in our lives.