Dear Memoirs,

Time is a flighty thing. We all take it for granted, and yet, in the background, it slowly ticks away from us, turning young children into aged grandparents, and that brandy-new sofa into an old, decrepit thing only good for the dump. We wake up every morning, we drive the same route to work, we work the same hours behind the same desk with the same computer and the same co-workers, and come back home in the same car, falling into the same bed at night. With all the monotony of our lives, we assume that everything is exactly how it will always be; we forget each day the change that time and life brings, the uncertainty each moment has for each one of us.

Take for example an experience I had. When I was three years old, I almost killed myself unintentionally. I basically choked myself unconscious, and if I hadn’t been dragged out when I had been or the police called so quickly or any of the other miraculous things that followed, I wouldn’t be here today.

I wouldn’t have written these words on this post that you’re reading right now.

This blog wouldn’t be in existence.

Not long ago, my mom pulled out some old newspapers which had articles on the accident, and we were looking at them together. I had never seen the stories, so it was interesting to see the pictures they had and the accounts they told of the incident. One article particularly struck me. The writer had included a quote from my dad, saying that he had thought he might never be able to see that sparkle in my eye again.

That quote shook me. It never really occurred to me to think of it quite in that light. Sure I knew that I could have easily died that day, or suffered some horrible lasting effects, like paralysis or brain damage from the lack of oxygen. But to think of it from my dad’s or any of my family’s perspective, life could have changed so drastically that day. My siblings might have lost a sister; my parents could have lost a child.

I had never seen it that way before.

The way my dad put it was eye-opening. Imagine if that had happened to one of my siblings, except that instead of making it out of that situation, they hadn’t made it. Just thinking about losing one of them-it seems so unreal. And yet, thousands of people lose a loved one every day.

Something struck me that day. Maybe the way to live life isn’t just how long it is until we need to get in the car to drive to work, but rather, how much time we have to spend with those we love. Maybe it’s about taking time to spend with those we love, time we would have otherwise used on ourselves: our hobbies, our interests, our job. Maybe it’s about setting aside a small time of the day, or the week, or even the month, dedicated to giving your mom a call, or sitting down and talking with a sibling, or having dinner with a grandparent.

Here’s what I take from that close call I had:

Live life knowing that that sparkle in his or her eye won’t be there forever.

With that thought in mind-

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Welcome to-

The Dear Memoirs’ Show Them Love Tag!

The rules of this tag are:

• Share the tag graphic (points above)
• Thank the blogger who tagged you (after all, this is all about showing love, soo XD)
• Link back to the blogger who created this tag (so I can read all your posts!)
• Do at least three of the four points listed below
• In a post, either list which ones you did, give a few specifics (e.g. “I took my mom out for dinner”), or simply say “I did three of the four”, and just pass this tag on by spreading the word about it
• Tag some bloggers if you want! (or tag everyone who reads your post, haha)

The points are these:

1. Tell someone you love that you do love them. So often, caught up in the midst of our busy lives, we simply take it for granted that we love the people we do, and expect that they know that. But that “take it for granted that they love me and I love them” attitude is dangerous in any kind of relationship. Why not take the time to tell them you love them? If you really care for that other person, it shouldn’t be too hard to do. Sure, it might seem awkward, but will the other person really care?
2. Talk with a loved one you haven’t talked with in awhile. Keeping in touch with loved ones is important and also shows you care for them.
3. Spend more time than you have lately with a specific loved one. Maybe it’s pulling out a deck of cards with your younger brother, or Face-timing that friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time, or simply sitting someone down onto a couch next to you, heating up some tea, and having a full-out conversation about what’s been going on in your lives.

If there’s a loved one who you recently have had a disagreement with:

4. Try and resolve the issue. And really try-either shoot them a text, invite them to have a lunch with you somewhere and have a talk, or see them in person. Don’t start off being defensive and giving excuses for why you acted the way you did. Let them have their say, and then say what you have to say. Overall, strive to be patient and kind. It never hurt anyone to try and be the better man (or woman). And in the end, the reward is more likely to be a reunion than a cold parting.

I tag each and every person who has just read this post to go out and at least try a few of the points I’ve listed above. There aren’t many, and yet every single one of them can show your love for someone in a meaningful way.

But…I suppose I must be a good example and tag a few bloggers specifically, so the people I’m tagging are:

–Anna (yayy, we share the same name [even if it’s pronounced a little differently! XD]!)

–Kenzie

–Kinsey

–Ruby

and

–Penny

Consider yourself tagged, people! Have fun! 🙂

~loverofwriting2

Hourglass picture from Aron Visuals. Coffee cup picture from Nathan Lemons.