Sunday Thoughts

Waking up early to gloomy weather always puts me in a thinking mood. I've been wanting to share my thoughts on this since yesterday, but I wanted to gather them first. This article hits me in all the right places due to my Dad's recent passing. It got me wondering about how I live my life as well.

Thanks to my Twitter friend, C, for sharing it the other day. Allow me to dissect each entry...

TOP 5 REGRETS FROM DYING PEOPLE

I wish I'd had the courage to live a life that's true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

I've always believed firmly in living my life the way I want to, no matter how others see it. Of course, how one wants to live his/her life is also questionable here. Needless to say, you go through life doing what's right for yourself and your family, regardless of what people think. The important thing to remember is this : you answer first and foremost to God, to yourself and to your loved ones (in my case, I always say, my children). Because at the end of the day, how you live your life, the choices you make greatly impact only them.

I wish I didn't work so hard.

This is easier said than done. When you need to get up each day to work so you can put food on the table and provide well for your family, it's easy to get lost. But it's true. No matter how important it is to work and provide, we must find the time to spend with the people who matter most to us : our spouses, our children, parents, siblings. For what good is a home filled with things money can buy, but lacking in happiness, peace and contentment? Weigh your priorities and know when to say "enough is enough".

I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

I'll try my best not to generalize. But in my case, the men in my family have always had this problem. I sometimes wonder if my Dad is saying this to himself now. He was a disciplinarian, an old-school kind of parent. He didn't feel right about showing his weak side to us. He was always so critical of everyone and everything, and not generous with his praises. He was a typical father in many angles. But when my children came, this totally changed.

I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

When my time comes, I know that this won't be in my list of regrets. We all need to have our friends in our lives. This is not to undermine the importance of family. Friends give us a different kind of satisfaction, the kind that we need for us to grow. They are one of my biggest blessings, my friends.

I wish that I had let myself be happier.

It's been said many times - the choice to be happy is ours. Let's not be too busy making others happy that we fail to think of or choose to neglect ourselves. Seriously ... how do you successfully create happiness around you and for the people you love when you don't feel the need to be happy yourself?

That said, I have bookmarked this site for future reading. It's good to remind ourselves and not wait for others to give us a nudge.

You can find the original article here.

I hope you all have a good and safe Sunday!