Jen’s Gem: Today is a gift. Open it with joy.

I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to be writing my blog today. I’m supposed to be standing in my driveway selling my possessions and making boatloads of money. That’s what I’m supposed to be doing.

 

If you read my blog last week, I told you that I had a humongous tag sale planned for this weekend and that I’d be taking the week off from my blog. But alas, here I am. Seems Mother Nature didn’t agree with my plans. As I diligently watched the little icons on my weather app repeatedly display sunshine for the weekend, I grew more and more confident that the tag sale was a go.
 
Then towards the middle of the week, those happy suns turned to angry clouds, some with lightening. I resigned myself to spending my weekend cleaning my kitchen and catching up on some reading. I cancelled all advertising and put my little pricing stickers away. Maybe next weekend. 

I woke up yesterday morning to brilliant sunshine, a slight breeze and clear skies. Uh…what? Turns out, it was a beautiful day. Perfect for a tag sale actually. But I relied on my trusty weather app and it deceived me.

Now, I recognize that I live in the Northeast and our weather can change on a dime but really? I was annoyed to say the least as I have this itch to declutter my house, my sheds, my life. Instead, I cut my lawn and I went to my great niece’s birthday party. That’s when I knew I wasn’t supposed to have my tag sale this weekend.
 
I was supposed to be with people I love. I was supposed to hug my great niece on her birthday and play with her younger sister. I was supposed to have a spontaneous dinner with my sister. That’s what I was supposed to be doing.
 
How do I know?
 
As I went to sleep last night, I thought about the day. I thought about how it got completely turned around from my original plans. And how it was so much better. Sure, I could’ve made a few dollars and divested myself of my possessions. But what I got instead was priceless. Because instead of my wallet being full at the end of the day, my heart was full.
 
How often do we make plans, certain that we are on track to do what we’re supposed to be doing and something happens to throw us off course? We take jobs we think are right for us. We plan trips we think will be fun. We make a meal that’s supposed to be delicious. We start businesses thinking they’ll be successful. We write books thinking they’ll end up on the New York Times bestseller list.
 
I’ve made a b-zillion plans that I thought would turn out for my ultimate good. I was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be for that time. With each new endeavor, I had high hopes of success. (Spoiler alert – not so much.) 

 Not everything I did turned out as I’d planned but here’s what did happen. I learned a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT! Those lessons have shaped me into who I am today. They have in some respects helped me do a complete 180 from where I started. And I don’t regret any of them.
 
Do I wish some had turned out better? Well, sure but I’ve learned that you can’t look back and wish things had different results. I’ve learned that you look forward with hope, keeping your feet in the day at hand. ‘Cuz guess what? Today’s all you really have. Just today.

 

 
I wouldn’t trade yesterday for anything. Even if I sold every single trinket in my shed and made more money than I’d expected. No amount of money could replace the feel of a baby’s face buried in your neck or seeing little fingers wave to the birdies. If that was my last moment on this earth – what a moment it’d be!
 
There’s much strife and sadness in our world today. It’s easy and tempting to wish for the simpler times of the past or to worry about the future. The only thing these two actions result in is regret and stress and who wants that?
 
“Today is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad.” So simple. You’ve been given a gift. A gift of life today. Make the most of it no matter what the forecast.