Have That Piece of Cake!

Hello, gentle readers!

Life is short. How often have we heard this phrase? How often have we said it?

We see memes of this sentiment all over Facebook and other forms of social media. People toss it out in conversation, but do they really believe it? I admit, it really didn’t resonate with me until very recently. You see, I lost a very dear friend not too long ago.

I’m not telling you this because I’m looking for sympathy. I’m telling you this because of what I learned. Yes, life is short…much shorter than we realize.

My friend’s passing has hit me hard. Very hard. I’m a steamroller when it comes to emotions….just roll right over them and get on with it. That’s always been my way (and yes, she knew this), but something is different. I find myself thinking about her in quiet moments. I miss her.

I’ve known this woman since we were fourteen….that’s a long time, considering how old we are now…well, how old I am now. We shared an apartment (actually, two of them) in our younger days, before we married our respective husbands and had children and moved away from each other.

But I remember all those late nights we stayed up and giggled, sharing so much more than just a physical address. We shared our dreams and aspirations and hopes for the future. She knew my history and I knew hers, and we became stronger women because of it. She always knew I wanted to be a writer and remembers me sitting at the second hand kitchen table in our apartment, scribbling complete stories in long hand. She always encouraged me, even when the rejection letters started rolling in.

Our relationship was the kind where we didn’t need to speak every day. Heck, we didn’t need to speak that often at all, but when we did, we picked up right where we left off, like no time had passed.

We taught each other a lot, lessons I carry to this day, and I love her like a sister…only more so, because she was the sister of my heart, not biology.

So, what have I learned? Life is too short, indeed so…have that piece of cake even if it isn’t on your diet. Write that book if that’s what you’ve always wanted to do. Laugh more. Hug more. Love more. Gather the ones close to you even closer and if you haven’t spoken to someone in a long time, reach out. You’ll be glad you did.

Until next time, remember to spread kindness wherever you go.

Marie