Living the Life

The other night I attended a Relief Society dinner.  Anyone who knows me knows that if an event involves food, I'll be there, so it was no shock to anyone that I was one of the first to get out of my chair after the blessing on the food and get myself in line for dinner.  I strategically placed myself in the line closest to the dessert tables which were nearly overflowing with beautiful glass dishes piled to the top with trifles.  Unable to constrain myself, or rather, not caring to, I went ahead and dished myself up some of those heavenly desserts as I stood in line for the main course.  Several ladies noticed and commented that I had the right idea...yet no one followed suit.  Each of them looked longingly at the desserts on the tables and somewhat enviously at my plate already endowed with the sugary greatness, and a little awed at my forwardness in helping myself.

Perhaps it was a slight breach of etiquette, maybe not the most lady-like behavior...but I tell you what; after those taco salads were consumed women were flocking to those dessert tables, circling like vultures!  I kind of giggled as I noticed some women who had commented on my plate earlier load up their dessert bowls with what was obviously what they had truly been looking forward to eating.

Fast forward to today...I got up this morning wishing it was a Saturday.  Our whole family was up late last night playing at Gammie and Bucka's before Luke and Janelle head back to PA so no one was quite ready to get out of bed this morning.  I let the kids sleep in a little and then drove them to school.  Since then I've had a bit of difficulty feeling motivated to do a whole lot.  When I finally made it to the shower I remembered several mornings back in my working-outside-the-home-on-someone-else's-schedule days when I woke up wishing I could just spend the day in pajamas.  So after getting cleaned up I decided to put on pajamas.  Even though I am babysitting today...even though I taught a piano lesson today...even knowing that I would probably be having someone come to the door today.  Yes, I taught piano in pajama pants and a mismatched t-shirt.  I answered the door with disheveled hair and zero make-up.

I guess my point is...I ate dessert first, I let another see that I am lazy some days.  And I'm okay with it.  I'm not ashamed.  It hasn't negatively impacted anyone's life.  In fact, noticing that I've had these opportunities (and YES! they are opportunities) makes me feel truly blessed.

It's been said that when you know you're near death you regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did do.  I truly know of a woman who, while lying on her death bed, lamented that she rarely ate dessert.  I may die with regrets, but that will certainly not be one of them.  And I hope I die wearing my comfiest, coziest jammie jams because that, to me, is a life worth living...the life that's been truly enjoyed!