Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes

Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes

July 15, 2020 All Articles Life Planning 0
Change

My dad is known for always asking “Could you, would you, when?” Could you make a change? Would you make the change? When will you do it?

I think we have all wanted change in some area of life at some point. Maybe you want change now. Perhaps you are even praying for it. The reality is that change can’t happen if nothing changes. You obviously cannot control everything. You probably cannot control much, but there are always little things you can. What most of us fail to see is that it is those little things that could move mountains.

COVID-19 has given many of us the gift of time. Are you using it wisely? Are you focusing on the little things that need to change in order to make the changes you really want? Perhaps it is your health or your finances. Maybe it is your relationship with God or your family. What if you started walking just thirty minutes a day? What if you started tracking your budget? What if you had a weekly family dinner or game night?

If you are sitting here a year from now, what impact would these little changes have on your life? We all want to live a great life, but often take for granted each minute that passes. The poem by Linda Ellis called The Dash always speaks to me. It follows:

“I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her casket from beginning to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth
and now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard; Are there things you would like to change?
For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough to consider what is true and real
and always try to understand the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives like we have never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile,
Remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash…
Would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?”

Remember, nothing changes if nothing changes. So…could you?…would you?…when?

 

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