Love Life.

On nights like this, after a hard, tiring, emotional day, I sit in bed with my cup of hot chocolate and listen to music. Usually I snuggle with the hubby and we talk about our thoughts: what's scary, what's exciting, and what we eventually want.

But tonight is a little different. Tonight, we don't share thoughts, we don't snuggle, we don't smile. We're apart. Tonight, Justin is exactly where he needs to be - with his parents. The future has hit faster and harder than we thought it would.

Tonight I think about what is really important and what really is not. I think about relationships.  I think about arguments. I think about long talks, slamming doors, sweet surprises, and the frustration expressed over toilet paper and toilet seats.  What matters and what doesn't?

Out of a list of positive and negative daily occurances, it is easy to point out the enjoyable moments and the moments we hope to never have to re-live. Throughout life, it is more important to say I love you often, to never go to bed angry, leave kisses on cheeks and lips, and smile more than you frown. Yes, I admit, some days I have a hard time doing any of these things. We all get lost in our selfish meanderings and forget that our life is right now. We are not promised tomorrow, we do not know what is right down the road or around the bend.

My challenge: Smile even when it is hard (research shows that, even when you fake it, smiling makes you feel happier!),  accept the things you can't change, pay people compliments, say 'I love you', give hugs (giant ones), pray more, gossip less. Remember to enjoy life as you live it - one day at a time.