Do Over
My friend, Delbert and I, are over at the coffee shop, eating breakfast and he asks me, “Did you get up grumpy today?” and I said, “Naw, left her in the bed and came on down here!”
Take My Wife … Please!
Then we started “conversating for real” as we is prone to do (which is Okie Talk). Television came up. A very popular show on television is this show “Extreme Makeovers.” Which made me think of “What would it be like, if you got a second chance in life?” I don’t really want a make over, what I want is a DO OVER. That sort of appeals to me, one more go at it, I guess everyone is like that in some way.
It is after all, something to think about.
If we had it all over to again, would we make the same mistakes?
Would we make more of them?
Would we learn how to relax, or would stress eat our lunch and control our days.
Would we limber up and find some laughter and joy in life, if we had this second chance.
Would we take it all more seriously or blow the second shot right out the window?
From my standpoint, I know I would take more trips, meet more interesting people, go to unique places … But that is the nature of my carbon based life form. Perhaps it could turn out that when a few of us do the “do over” a small majority could end up even crazier than we are now, why not, this was sort of fun at times. Might climb a mountain, swim in a river, and sit still along enough to enjoy the setting sun. In my next life I would walk more, and drive less. I would do less talking and more looking.
More Ice Cream and a lot less green beans.
Pay more attention to the real problems in my life, and ignore the imaginary ones.
Live life, prophylactically and sensibly hour after hour … Day after day. When I hit high gear on the second time around, I will refrain from using words like Prophylactically (“acting to defend against or protect from something”) mainly because most people do not use words like that, don’t know the meaning of them, and everyone is going to be able to see how smart you are anyway …… Usually in about five minutes in most cases.
What else might we do?
We won’t dress for success.
We won’t eat chocolate, drink Coke
We won’t shove a lot of groceries down our necks.
Man, I seem to be on a roll here. I won’t try to program my senses and my life for monetary gain, prestige or power. I will stop and buy whatever little kids are selling from a stand beside the road. Will cease getting all bent out of shape over people who do not use spelling checkers. The ones who write all the hate emails and imply my parents were not married.
Definitely would have more “lite Bulb” moments, if I was allowed to do it over again.
Less country music and more spiritual uplifting gospel music would be the order of the day
Moment after moment, I would not only seek them out (lite bulb moments), I would have MORE of them in my life
The second time around we could do some housecleaning in our lives. Toss out thermometers, hot water bottles, gargles, raincoats, cable TV bills, telephones (especially cell phones), voice mail, user names and passwords.
We could all travel lighter, visiting places we have not yet been. If the wife wanted to sit in the bus, I would allow her this luxury of life, it is after all, her second time around too. Me? I am gonna walk over to the guardrail and see how far I can spit! (Boys will be boys y’know.)
Nothing would hold me back … I am going Barefooted if I have to … I am stepping out. I will head out in the spring and miss the tornados and twisters on the plains. Spend most of the summer and some of the fall, in the cool air of the mountains somewhere, perhaps outside of Fresno, just a tad bit north of Songman’s house, in the High Sierra’s.
I would stop every now and then just to smell the flowers. Set aside self ambition and personal preference for God’s will and his way in my life. Choose the right priorities and force myself to realize the importance of a spirit filled life, a life which has all the earmarks of Christian Service.
Just depends on how you look at it I guess. Life is a lot like a deck chair. Some place it so they can see where they are going, and some place it to see where they have been. Some just stick them up against the wall to lean back and watch the present unfold before their eyes.
And then there is mine … On some days, no matter how hard I try … I often I can’t even get mine unfolded. One of these days, when I get it all together, I am going to do it. Unfolding my deck chair, I am going to sit in the sunshine, and listen to God and what life is telling me.
See you in the fast lane … Life is short … Enjoy the ride.
BCO