Life Leeches

I have been thinking lately. There are so many ways that we rob ourselves of life. Even when we think we are living in the moment, there are always distractions.

The Celebrator -- (aka the techie/photographer) is too busy instagramming, tweeting, facebooking, photographing, or documenting every aspect of life, they miss out on it. My pastor's wife once told me she was at her son's graduation trying to get into a better spot to take a picture. While she was getting to a better spot, she missed her son walking across the stage. "From that point on," she told me, "I vowed I would never miss out on life by trying to capture it."

The Busy Bee -- Many moms fall into this category (my own included). The Busy Bee is so busy trying to get to "the next thing," that they miss "the now thing." My mother often tells me she regrets not playing with us more when we were little. Yet she never tells me she regrets not washing the windows 15 years ago.

The Introvert -- For whatever reason, (past scars, personality, fear of rejection) introverts take life in tentative sips. Often, in lieu of living their own lives, introverts choose to live vicariously through others. E.g. living through the lives of book or movie characters, or a parent living through the life of their child. It is far better to be with flesh-and-blood people than illusions of them.

Don't let your technology, self-created busyness, or inherent shyness rob you of life. Live in the moment. Drink it to the dregs. Take mental photos, enjoy the now thing, and revel in being.