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February 20, 2006
Don't Wish Your Life Away
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
When I was little a girl, I played with Grandma's clothing and Mother's
makeup -- playing dress-up and wishing I were older. Both of them would
giggle at my appearance. Sometimes I would be offended. I wanted them
to see me as a grown-up lady, and I told them so. But then, Grandma
would say, "Dee Dee, don't wish your life away."
As I grew older, Grandma would use that saying whenever I wished for
something. "I wish it was Christmas", "I wish it was summer vacation,"
"I wish I was old enough to date", "I wish I was old enough to get into
the night clubs"; they were all met with "Don't wish your life away."
I don't know exactly when I understood what Grandma meant, but it was
somewhere between my girlish attempts to look older, and my womanly
attempts to look younger. Suddenly, instead of spending time at the
mirror trying to be a Big Girl and wishing for my next birthday, I was
in front of the mirror trying to look younger, and wishing my next
birthday was, well, never.
But, if I had my birthdays as often as I had wished when I was a little
girl, I would have missed the years on the jungle gym. I would have
missed springs and autumns. I would have missed sleep-overs with
girlfriends -- I would have missed my life.
And, conversely, if I didn't have birthdays now, well, at worst I'd be
dead. At best, I'd be frozen here, at 41. Either way, I'd miss my
children growing-up. I'd miss their years on the jungle gyms, their
sleep-over parties, their first dates, and the seasons of their lives.
My grandmother had a saying, "Don't wish your life away." I didn't
understand when I was young, but I do now.
Posted by photocartoonist at February 20, 2006 4:43 PM
Comments
Thank u! Got it, which means to live in the moment.Is it so?
I will not wish my life away,too.:-)
Posted by: zita at March 13, 2006 10:02 PM