As a child I never understood the concept of keeping the nicest things we own for best.
Best china, best shoes, best lead cut crystal (before anyone realized what lead cut meant btw), sometimes even whole rooms are cordoned off “for best”.
The thing is we never know when the best of the best is coming. We can try to make it the best, by literally bringing out the best we have-the china, glasses, shoes etc. -but the acid test is the memory or memories the occasion spurns and the feelings we are left with.
And here’s another thing, the best is the time we have right now. It’s all we have. The past has gone, the future is not yet here, all we have is now.
I feel a familiarity with this concept after my brush with the feeling of the shadows of death, as the thought, “I’m gonna die right here, right now,” ran through my mind. Death was tapping me on the shoulder, and I couldn’t find my way through the smoke and flames to get out of the front door.
Of course I am here so I didn’t die, but most of my things, best or not, fried in that fire. And I learned a valuable lesson, just because I am here today planning what I will do tomorrow does not mean that tomorrow will dawn for me.
One day it will be lights out forever, and I feel it is that window of time, the one when you know it is a one way trip, that is the most precious. I don’t want to go into my next chapter kicking and screaming, or heaven forbid, chronically ill and or incapacitated. I don’t want to feel unprepared, nor those around me.
Life is a one way ticket, there is no getting there for a layover and then knowing you have the return date. All we have is now, the rest is not promised.
Regrets are not on my bucket list and I do my damnedest not to collect any more than the two I already have. The nature of them doesn’t matter, they happened 30 years ago and have been a guiding light to not collect more along the way.
We can escape death once or maybe even more, but one thing is for sure, when it’s truly time for lights out, death won’t take no for an answer. This is one expiration date that is not stamped out at time of manufacture! And not one of us is immune, no amount of money can buy more time, or save us, from our ultimate fate. None of us are getting out of here alive.
So after losing almost everything I owned, and gaining a life, here is one thing that I know and live every day. The best time any of us, no matter who we are, or where we are, no matter what’s going on in our lives, have is RIGHT NOW.
So now when I love something I don’t put it away for best, I get it out, use it and get pleasure from it every time I see it.
Check out my cabinets and closets, you won’t find tiers of things, the not so good, day stuff and best. Oh no, only my faves get to come out daily. I live in a tiny cottage where cabinet space is premium, only my cherished items get to hang out in my cupboards! Drinking my tea or chai is so much better out of my favorite cup than from a poor second. I am happy to say, my underwear drawer is the same, no saggy undies for me (when I do wear them that is, but that’s way off topic lol).
So dump out those seconds, bring forth the favorites, and create the best life ever every minute of the day. Life is an experience waiting to be encountered, how we do that is up to us.
What I know is that we have to stop waiting for the best to happen, and start creating the best we can with the best we have. Get some best in your life and watch your heart smile, and when your heart smiles the world smiles back.
It’s time to stop doing our best and start BEING our best, every minute of every breath we are licensed to breathe, for one day our bodies will be called in, and our breath will have nowhere to go. Don’t cheat yourself out of a life that feels better
What about you, do you save the best for best, or is your daily life sprinkled with all your best bits? I’d love to know.
Sending you love always, in all ways.
Sat nam