~~None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought. Eat that delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say that truth you're carrying in your heart like a hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There's no time for anything else.~~ Anthony Hopkins
I'm not sure Anthony Hopkins actually said this, but the quote is attributed to him and I think it's a really good reminder to not tuck away your treasures for a 'special occasion'. Being alive is the special occasion. Getting out of bed, seeing the sunrise, hearing your loved ones. That china you use once a year can bring more joy if used more often. That special dress that makes you sparkle needs to be worn more often. And the once every so often snack that you like needs to be tasted more often.
Life can be hard and we have no control over some things. A flat tire or being laid off or illness can turn our world upside down and we have to handle it. But we do have control of some things and we can choose to make our worlds more. More happy. More fulfilling. More delightful. Just more.
Quitting smoking can make our days seem harder. Longer. Full of struggles. But if we counteract that by also filling our days with things we love...music, dancing, laughter, good food, friendships...our quits can be easier to manage. It's about choices and how we view what we're doing and how we're doing it.
Today will never, ever come again. We can chose to draw into ourselves and just get by or we can embrace all those little things that mean the world to us and make some moments special.
Take your quit and know that it will get easier in time. And it will get easier if you accept it isn't easy. And it will get easier if you sprinkle in some of your favorite things.
If he did say this quote, I think I would like Anthony Hopkins. I, too, like to walk in the sunshine and I have learned never to treat myself like an afterthought. Life's too short for anything else.
As one of my favorite yoga instructors says: "May you have peace in your thoughts, peace in your words, and peace in your heart. Namaste."
Sheri
