Scrolling through my Facebook timeline, and I see y’all out here doing big things. (I’m from Kansas.  We say y’all.  It’s like the south without the confederate monuments, and for the most part, we haven’t yet figured out what to do with grits.There are a few exceptions.)  My people are out here establishing their own brands.  I could not be prouder than I am of my cousins with their clothing lines and restaurants.    I got  people travelling the world, stacking up frequent flyer miles like a new game of Jenga.   Y’all done been everywhere from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.  Y’all are out here at Essence Fest and MegaFest, and I’m sitting at my cubicle listening to jazz and praying for my day to come.

And I think to myself, ‘This Ain’t Living.’

Except, that it is.  And I’m wasting my time reading about your life instead of living mine!

Time is finite.  I believe it has a beginning and an end, and I have to be honest and say that I’ve spent too much of this precious limited resource worried about what you are doing.

The internets have been a blessing as they have connected to me to long lost friends and  cousins I barely knew.  But it’s also been a curse, as I compare my life to the number of classmates with more degrees and passport stamps.

Long-haired hippie Jesus, didn’t die on the cross so I could be scrolling through my timeline for hours at a time.  He came that I might have life.

And this ain’t living…

Except that it is… and while i’m on Pinterest trying to find new ways to organize my closet, the dishes are piling up in the sink.  My children are growing up faster than I think they should, and some rich socialite just gained thousands of Instagram followers.

There is more to life to than this and I have been too busy scrolling through my timeline to properly utilize this precious gift I have been given.

So today…Right now.  Let’s choose to live an abundant life.  Sure, the dishes need to be washed and put away, but who is going to stop you from singing and dancing as you get it all done.  So what if we can’t afford to travel to Italy right now.  Let’s make plans to hit up the fancy Italian restaurant next weekend and order the good wine.  (Wine in a box and 2 buck chuck are not good wine!!!!)

Call your grandmother,

Kiss your spouse.

Read a book to your babies, even if they very clearly can read on their own.

And enjoy every single second of it.

Because life more abundantly isn’t about the stuff you have, or the places you’ve been.  It’s about loving where you are and being excited about where you are going.

Today that’s the choice I’m making.  Game on!

Love,

Mama Radford