I crave places that look like this:

Our current environment sometimes feels like this:

I crave environments that make me feel like this:

…A month ago we returned from an extended vacation, part of which was spent in Italy. (A place that had been on my bucket list for a very long time.)  We spent time in the hills, the valleys, in the mountains, on islands, in castles, and in a gondola drinking in life and beauty.

Previous vacations at Versailles and in Amsterdam have taught me to expect valuable lessons to emerge in the midst of our rest and adventure.  So towards the end of our time in Italy I paused to reflect:

*First I savored everything we were seeing:  Green and blue landscapes and skies filled with puffy white clouds… 

*Then I remembered the regrets of a dying friend:  As he told his wife that he wished they’d taken more vacations together.

*Then I pondered how temporary everything is as I thought of:

• Lives and cities that were destroyed with the eruption and fallout from the famous volcano Vesuvius
• Endless examples of cities that were built on of ruins of older cities – many of which are lonely ruins today or have yet another layer of life happening above them

EMPHASIZING the words spoken throughout Italy, “Carpe diem.” ~ Seize the Day!

After our time in Italy, we spent a few weeks with our families seizing days!!!  We hugged, we visited, we ate, we sat by campfires, we played games, we watched movies, we swam, we looked at stars, and we soaked in more green and blue landscapes. …And I drove a car for the first time in 16 months! (Something I can’t do where we live.) I opened the sunroof and the windows and let the wind whip through my hair!   Ahhh – pure joy!!!

And when the time came to go back to our expat lives, I struggled with feelings of exchanging endless freedom for a box.  (I know my grandmother felt that way when she was moved from her home to an apartment, to assisted living  and ultimately to a nursing home. And I know that at some point all humans will struggle with physical, mental, or emotional limitations that may be real or imagined.)

[Tweet “Boxes make it much more challenging to seize the day!”]

A few times my struggle was so intense I had to go off by myself and just walk and pray and focus on the things I am thankful for right now:  A wonderful husband, a loving family, amazing friendships, lots of adventure, tons of personal growth, a deeper understanding of our world, and the ability to visit places that I’ve only seen in movies, pictures, and on maps.

 A few days later, we boarded our plane to head back to our expat life.  As we flew across the ocean, I watched Dead Poets Society just so I could watch the scene where Robin Williams reminds the boys in his class to, “Seize the Day.”  …And I willed myself to do the same.

When we landed we learned that Robin Williams had taken his own life.  There was no way to miss the power of this lesson now. Even as his life was ending, I was watching him in living color, reminding others to seize this day, and live it to the full.

 Today…   Is the first day, of the rest of YOUR LIFE.

• You can seize the day by being thankful for the blessings in your life.
• You can seize the day by doing something outside of your comfort zone.
• You can seize the day by doing something to grow yourself.
• You can seize the day by doing something for someone else.
• You can seize the day by asking for help.
• You can seize the day by not looking back.
• You can seize the day by learning something new.
• You can seize the day by taking a stand.
• You can seize the day by listening more intently.
• You can seize it by forgiving someone.
• You can seize the day by trying again.

[Tweet “Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are.”]

How will you seize today?