Too Busy For Living

We live in such a 24/7  fast paced world.  Everyone and everything seems to move too quick and with a constant motion.  They say time flies when you are having fun, however it seems to me that life is moving so quickly that I wonder are we really enjoying it?  When I was a child, the summer seemed long and leisurely and the school year lasted forever.  The sight of Christmas was not seen until the day after Thanksgiving and Halloween was strictly for trick or treating with only some pumpkins and dried corn on the front door as decorations.  Stores were closed on Sundays and all that the family did on that day was going to church, watch some television and have a nice family dinner with maybe some relatives over.  Stores, restaurants and movies shut down at night.  Television specials were shown only once a year, so if you missed Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer on CBS you had to wait an entire year for your chance to see it again.  Life seemed simpler, and I believe happier.  We had the opportunity to actually get to know people, our friends, neighbors and relatives.  With less congested schedules, people took pride in accomplishing tasks themselves whether cooking, gardening, painting  or just sitting down to read the newspaper.  Now all we do is rush.  We all are so busy it has affected how we interact as human beings.  Texting and blackberries have replaced conversations.   The computer, DVR’s and 24/7 programming entertain us in replacement of more mundane things like playing cards or taking a walk in the park.  I believe our fast paced world is teaching our children that technology, entertainment and ‘things’ are more important than people.   The ‘things’ that entertain us and keep us all so busy have a higher priority than the people in our lives.  One day we wake up and our children are grown while our faces show the signs of age.  Do you look back on those years gone by and say I should have done that, I could have done that or I would have done that?  We all have regrets about lost opportunites and things not going as we had wished they would, however will we regret our busy lifestyles?  Will  we regret the lost friendships, lost relationships and missed opportunities all due to being too busy?   Will we regret not teaching our children family traditions, volunteering for the PTA or hosting a surprise party for our parents because we did not have the time?  Regrets are something I do not care to waste my future on and therefore embrace each day as though it was my last.  I do not know what tomorrow holds for me and therefore I try my hardest to not be too busy to actually enjoy my life!