One thought has been nagging me my whole life, but particularly through the last year+ of this pandemic.

Life is really freaking short.

I’m an Enneagram 4w3, which means that I like to sit in feelings — to name, analyze, ponder, discuss. My gut instinct is to live by my heart and I have a strong desire to encourage others to do the same (which is not always a good thing). There’s a lot to unpack there, and I’ll get more into that another day, but my main point here is that I perceive the world through a thick lens of nostalgia.

I’m very aware of how precious life is. I always have been. Like, always — I recently found a note that I wrote for a time capsule when I was 8 years old that said, “Smile, you’re living a miracle right now. Life is a gift!” No joke.

My brother surprised me the other day when he told me he recently started making an effort to wake up for the sunrise each day. (Despite being my literal opposite, he is the same Enneagram as me — 4w3. That basically means that, even thought we express ourselves & process our thoughts very differently, we have the same intrinsic motivations.) I don’t really know how much he follows through on that sunrise statement as a college student in a fraternity but the guy has a point! The phrase “life is short” is often used to justify crazy adventures and wild experiences. But how often is it used on the little things?

I want to make an effort to enjoy life while it lasts. To close my eyes and savor that first sip of coffee in the morning. To wake up 30 minutes earlier each day to see the sunrise. To stop during my trail run and take in the beauty of the nature I’m running through.

This is why I love my job. Engagement and marriage are relatively short seasons of life, but they are jam-packed with emotion and vibrance. I want to help couples make the most of their love so they can look back at pictures of themselves in 30 years and be instantly transported back to that moment, feeling wild and free, drunk on young love. UGH. I’m tearing up as I write this. THAT is what life is all about.

Don’t let life pass you by.

This week’s calendar quote is from The Tempest: “We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” You don’t need to go skydiving to make the most of your life. (I mean you can, but that’s not the point). All it takes is putting in the extra effort to appreciate the little things.