Be First?

March 12, 2023

Be first? I do not mean you have to win a race. The victory of competition is short lived. Don’t worry about being first, when you are competing. Train as much as you can, and then do your very best. Everyone running around the track will be doing their very best, so even if you do not come in first, you are one of the winners for the day because you have to be good even to be in the race at all. When playing Scrabble with my friend, I do not mind coming in second. We each do the best we can, and then depending on the way the letters show up on our racks, and what opportunities we have to put words over double letter or triple word will determine the outcome. What is the old saying? It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it only matters how you play the game. If you play “the game” well, eventually you might win, or at least you have given it your best shot. So, it is the same way when you choose how to live your life today, and every other day as well. What will your day be like? Will you have the best day of your life so far? Will you get up in a state of appreciation and gratitude, or will you slog through your day as though the sky is falling down on you? Are you giving your life your best shot on a day- to-day basis? Are you revved up and ready to go as your feet touch the cold floor for the first time? Do you smile at the bathroom mirror as you brush your teeth and wash your face knowing you are looking one of God’s creations right in the eye? I mean do you realize not only is your life a gift, but you are also a gift. Do you feel like the gift that you are? I am not kidding… do you feel like a gift even before you go down to turn the coffee maker on? You should because you are.

When I talk about being first, be the first to fix a problem. If there is a disagreement going on, don’t wait for the other person to apologize. Be first to unruffle the feathers of disagreement. Sometimes just acknowledging the problem can solve it. For instance, you had an argument with your husband. You both go storming off. Now what? Give yourselves time to figure out what has happened. What caused two people who love each other so very much to storm off in the first place? Then go to him and talk it out. Sometimes expectations are not being met, sometimes someone is frustrated. Maybe sometimes you are both frustrated, or tired, or overworked. Maybe the argument is not really about something silly like why you not put the top on the toothpaste…but that is what you are arguing about. Maybe you are really upset about money, or maybe you just want to have a date, or feel appreciated. Maybe you have not found the time to fall into each other’s arms, and you feel like everything is on only on your shoulders. You forget for a moment that “Better together” has been your slogan. Be the first to diffuse the situation. Be the first to say Thank you. Be the first to say I love you. Be the first to say I am sorry. Be the first to appreciate each other. Life is not a competition. Life is a collaboration, two minds and two hearts figuring everything out together. Every relationship, in life is one on one, two people at a time over and over again. Bride to groom, parent to parent, parent to child, sibling to sibling, relative to relative, friend to friend, stranger to stranger. Everything happens between two people over and over again. Appreciate, enjoy and be grateful for all the people in your lives, and if there is a problem… be first to fix it.

Let me be the first to say, thank you to you today. Thank you for reading my blog, and thank you for trying to be the best you can be for another day as your feet touch the cold floor for the first time today. Have a wonderful day!

Granny-o