Learn To Live

Posted on March 26, 2014 by

In the moment at Squaw Valey

In the moment at Squaw Valey

“Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze at the seaside, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over the water, or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a sweet with her thumb and first finger.

Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a letter. Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted…

It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the colour of our kids’ eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again. It is so easy to exist instead of to live.

I learned to live many years ago. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly.

And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby’s ear. Read in the back yard with the sun on your face.

Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived.”

~ Anna Quindlen

This quote so exquisitely explains the struggle that I, and so many others, grapple with every day-the desire to learn how to live in the present, to appreciate every moment as it is right now. My hope is that by sharing it with you, that you may come one step closer to learning to live your best life. I first discovered this quote on the blog, First Sip.

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

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Comments: 5

  • Shahzad

    January 4, 2024

    Your eloquent sharing of Anna Quindlen’s wisdom is deeply moving. Embracing the present, appreciating life’s nuances, and fostering connections are profound lessons. Your hope to inspire others to live their best lives is beautifully conveyed. Thank you for spreading such heartfelt insights.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Wolfe

      March 29, 2014

      Thank you, dear Kim. I always appreciate your enthusiastic support! Hugs~Jennifer

      Reply
    • Jennifer Wolfe

      March 29, 2014

      Lindsey, your connection to this quote doesn’t surprise me! It’s something we have in common…our wholehearted desire to live in the moment, to hang onto the beauty of our children, and to grow into the women we know we can be. Thank you, thank you for commenting. ~Jennifer

      Reply
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