One Thousand Milestones, One at a Time
1000 Cigarettes not smoked
100 Dollars not spent on buying them
+ 1 Week added to my life
1101 Milestones... one at a time
It amazes me how quickly the little things can add up. I recently passed several milestones as noted above. For those of you tracking progress on the automated page, the milestones actually passed a day or two ago around the 20th. I passed the 50-day mark of not smoking. Because I was a pack a day (20 cigarettes in a pack) smoker, and because I spent a little over two dollars a pack (yes, you can still find some brands for that cheap), I passed these several milestones within a very short period of time thanks to the math (20 x 50 and 2 x 50) the automated page uses.
I originally intended to write a short post about passing all of these milestones and was going to post it on the day the milestones all passed, but plans changed. The unexpected passing of a loved one changed several things, and scheduling was just one of them. The other things it changed are just as important, so I decided to write a quick note about them instead:
- It changed my perspective on just how short and sweet life really is. My brother-in-law, Richard Lawson, passed away Friday at the age of 46. For me, that’s only 12 years from now. Cherish life and enjoy every minute.
- It changed my vision of how I want to be remembered. Before I closed Richard’s service with a prayer, I couldn’t help but remind everyone that we are all going to die; and I encouraged everyone to think very hard about what they want said at their funeral and start living that way. If the comments at my funeral are anywhere near as loving and caring as the things said at Richard’s, I know it will mean that I lived a good life, was selfless, and touched many hearts in a lasting and positive way.
- It reminded me to fill my heart and mind with good, positive things so that those good things are expressed in my words and actions (Philippians 4:6-9).
- It assured me that the only true peace to be found is the peace found through a personal relationship with God; and that every other blessing, including peace in other relationships, is a result of that personal relationship with God.
- It affirmed Richard’s well-known tagline. No matter the circumstances, no matter the trials or troubles, no matter what’s going on or not going on in our lives, “it’s good to be alive.”
In light of everything that has happened in the past week, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind everyone to tackle life’s problems one baby step, one milestone at a time. One day, one hour, one minute, one dollar, one smoke, one drink, one relationship… no matter what it is, take it a step at a time. Along the way, don’t worry, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Remember, it’s all small stuff.
Semper Fi, Richard. You will be missed.
Richard