Today

"How fragile life, how certain death.
We do not know when we will be required
to leave this mortal existence.
And so I ask, 'What are we doing with today?'
If we live only for tomorrow,
we'll eventually have a lot of empty yesterdays."

-President Thomas S. Monson

I try very hard to live in the moment. Sometimes, it's to my detriment. Like, when my kids are being extremely naughty, I get overwhelmed and think that they're always going to be naughty. Like, for the rest of their life and forever. It's never going to get better and I might as well give up. I eventually come to my senses, look past my own nose and realize that a tantrum can't possibly last forever and I try get over it. It's stuff like that that's hard for me to see past. But....I do try. And try. And try. And try to live for right now.

I'm not a person who likes to do "countdowns". Like, "only 47 more days until....". I just don't do that. When we go on vacation, for example, I don't start packing a week in advance. I do it the night before, or sometimes, even the day of. Starting too soon just feels like a waste of time to me. Don't get me wrong, I plan for and take care of the necessary things. Especially if the kids aren't coming along. I have to make sure all arrangements are taken care of for them. I've just found that if I get overly consumed with the future, I get overwhelmed and anxious and forget what I have to do in the present. The present gets neglected and things fall apart.

Seasons change, people come and go, children throw fits, children grow up, weight is gained and lost, we all age, wrinkles happen. Complaining about it isn't going to do me a darn bit of good because all I'll have in the end is a lot of empty yesterdays because I was too busy focusing on tomorrow. So, I'm thankful for right now. Today.