If I had My Life to Live Over: This poem was originally published on Caramel and Parsley in 2010 / 2011 and removed a few years later. During the recent holidays I was deleting articles and came across this poem again by Erma Bombeck and believe it should be included on my website. It is still an encouragement.
This is a very well-known poem by Erma Bombeck and it is being included in my blog as I feel from time to time we all need reminders of what we are doing and where we are going in Life ~ and its brevity.
Years before I was diagnosed with cancer I had received this poem from a friend and posted it on our kitchen fridge as I felt it contained some valuable lessons which were relevant in my Life. As a result, I changed some priorities in my life after. However, it truly became much more meaningful to me a few years later.
Enjoy! Liz
IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
– by Erma Bombeck
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”
There would have been more “I love you’s.” More “I’m sorry’s.”
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute …
look at it and really see it …
live it … and never give it back.
Links & References:
- October, 2014 – Living with Uncertain Cancer Recurrence
- November, 2017 – 5 Year CT Scan Results
- January, 24, 2018 – Changes After Cancer
(Updated 2018)
“Happiness, not in another place but this place…
not for another hour, but this hour.”
~ Walt Whitman
“Carpe diem”
~ Horace, The Odes of Horace
