It’s funny — why is it that it take you leaving a place, for you to truly make the most of the time you have?
That’s how it is with a lot of things, right? We don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone?
If you haven’t heard, my fiancé and I are relocating to Ohio! That’s right! We’re moving out of NYC, and back to around where I grew up, only twenty minutes from my family! (And believe it or not, the move was HIS idea!)
But it’s really something…now that we have an “end date” — we’ve realized that our time in NYC is limited, and we only have so much time left. Only so many weekends Only a certain number of opportunities to get together with our friends, and do all the things that we’ve been wanting to do, but haven’t gotten around to.
Case in point: my mom is coming to visit next week, and we’re going to shop for her Mother of the Bride dress, but really — it’s to go to all the delicious restaurants we’ve always wanted to try. (And if you want a list of my favorite “locals only” restaurants in NYC, you can check this blog post out!)
But I’ll tell you what: Steven and I have not had a moment of downtown since we’ve announced that we’re moving at the end of the year.
Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday…really every single day — we’re booked solid from now until then.
We’re making plans to visit all the “touristy things” we have always overlooked because…”New Yorkers don’t go to Times Square for fun…”
We’re cherishing time with time with friends, and really making sure that we spend quality time with the people we love.
We’re reaching out to people we haven’t seen in a while. We’re planning ahead, and not leaving things “to chance,” or a “spur of the moment,” – play it by ear kind of night.
We’re really being … intentional.
Which — honestly, that word makes me cringe. Mainly because I dated a guy back in the day who really wanted to make it known that he was being “intentional” in courting me. Which — I know, is really sweet…but please…show me, don’t tell me…..
But enough about that…
Time.
I know it’s a cringy word, but we really are being intentional with our free time, making sure to make the most of the time we have left in New York.
But I’ve gotta tell ya – there’s part of me that is feeling really disheartened, wishing that I would have lived like this the entire time I’ve been here.
Why is it that it takes leaving, to really seize every moment, and live intentionally? Why is having a limit on our time here the reason why we’re finally doing all the things we’ve always wanted to do or try?
It makes me want to live like this indefinitely. Spending time — and cherishing it — with friends and loved ones, trying new things, catching the sunsets, appreciating the things around us, and really “sucking the nectar” out of life.
I’m sharing this, because I wish I had started doing this sooner. You don’t have to have this “moving date guillotine” over your head, to not take our time for granted. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned first hand over the last decade of my life: we’re not promised tomorrow.
Every. Single. Day is a gift, and cherishing time with friends and loved ones is an important thing to do, no matter what season of life you’re in. Because people matter, and life is uncertain.
I hope this isn’t taking a morbid turn, that is truly not my intention here.
But I only hope to urge you to start living in a way that doesn’t take time for granted. To implore you to….live intentionally….there, I said it.
So with that, I am signing off for the evening, as Steven, his cousins and I are going to to a fun event in Soho tonight! I’ll post photos/vidoes on my Instagram (@beauty.beyond.bones) if you want to “virtually join me!”
Have a wonderful night, friends. And I hope you have an … intentional weekend 🙂
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11 responses to “Time, Sweet Time”
This is a wonderfully intentional post, Caralyn! I am 61 years young and can speak from experience that the older I become, the faster time appears to slide by. Time is of course not changing speed. I think it is so wonderful that you and Steven are spending your last days in the big city so intentionally. Have a great time this eve. ❤️☺️🙏🏻🍻
Excellent point! Life is a gift to be experienced and shared. Every moment is someone’s last; if I/you are a part of “that moment” we can only hope that it is positive and uplifting. Hugs and Love 🤗 & ❤️ !
Since we’re using cliches tonight, let’s start with the Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda syndrome. It sounds like you’re driving in the rear-view mirror instead of the windshield. The corollary to this one is “Don’t should all over yourself.” And what if you had done all those things all the time while other responsibilities called or just your body screaming “Enough!” What sort of wreck would you have turned yourself into? You’ll know the answer to that question when you’ve fulfilled your currently packed calendar.
Yes, you’ve had ten years when you could have done some of these missed things instead of packing the, frantically into a few months. I submit that you would have been smart and done them IF those priorities really were as high as your regrets now make the look.
I’m saying all this from the perspective of a now-cripple who almost died this year. I’m in my mid-sixties and returning to work looks more problematic all the time. I just went to a memorial service for the parents of a friend at church. The whispers of my own mortality are now speaking more loudly. I, too, am feeling regrets over things I’d still like to do but now don’t stand a chance of doing. Regret can rob both present and future.
Lest this sound too negative, I’m writing all this to point out the positive. Instead of regretting a permanent future of braces and a cane, I’m embracing the life I narrowly lost, and that God gave me back! Don’t you and Steve ride your horse of regrets into the ground prior to your more – will you have anything left for that? Slow to a trot to do a few things instead of riding too fast to see the beauty you are racing past, chasing regrets!
Wisdom comes from experience, young man, and you have packed some vital experience into your life’s events! May we learn to live in the light of that experience without having to learn from our own tragedies. Prayed for you, today, Mr. King, that Father would use you in grander schemes than you yet realize are possible. ❤️& 🙏, c.a.
Mr. Post, you have brightened my day immeasurably! I often pray to God to use me for His kingdom in any way he sees fit. St. Paul wrote that we should always look for the good deeds God has prepared in advance for us to do. I’m sure he kept me alive to do more. All I need do is look and act. Again, THANK YOU for brightening my day!!!!
Events of the past are but stepping stones along the way to a positive future we choose for ourself even if we stumble on the path. Those stumbles are not something for us to pause and dwell on but we are to pick ourselves up and move on quickly with joy. 🙂
That’s very true! I like to live each day as if it might be my last and never take anything, or anyone, for granted. Enjoy your time in NYC.
Hey Caralyn!
EXCELLENT! 😀
I can hardly wait for a post from you about “How to live intentionally”….
For me, it’s pretty much about *using language*, *choosing words* and junk like that.
🙂 Norbert
Good post. And that Lego cab is pretty impressive.
Reminds me of Joni Mitchell’s Yellow Taxi, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2595abcvh2M.
Or for a more economically correct rendition, Amy Grant did a cover, changing the cost of Joni’s Tree Museum from $1.50 to $25 (!!) just to see ’em. 😉
The more things change, the more they remain the same.
❤️& 🙏, c.a.
Miss Caralyn when I moved from New York a couple of years ago I didn’t have the opportunity to take in those moments and see friends before moving nearly two thousand miles from the place that became my home. It is the place I married, and lived for nearly 28 years. Because of the pandemic well, because.
Good for you and Steven for taking this opportunity before you move. <3
God bless,
Teri