by Rhonda M.

Created on: November 16, 2007   Last Updated: July 24, 2010

We all make the mistake of taking something in our life for granted. The things that are close at hand day in and day out are easy to just assume will always be there when in fact anything can happen. Some things are easy to see that we take for granted while others hide and evade us. What do I as a person take for granted?

Over the years I have learned time is taken for granted. We often find ourselves saying I can do this now or do this later when in fact who knows what later may hold. I learned just how precious time actually was when I lost my grandmother. My grandmother was much like a mother to me. She had been there for me since day one of my birth and had in fact raised me until I was ten years old. She was eighty-three years old when she left this world. Looking at the numbers it seems a long time when in fact it was such a short time to spend with someone you love. I took time with my grandmother for granted. I knew some day we would be forced to part ways but I refused to acknowledge the time could be close. The day I said my final goodbye to my grandmother I realized time takes it's toll and those we love are not always going to be there to be apart of our time so make the best of the time you have with them.

Things we have done since a baby are very easy to take for granted and not even realize we do. It is easy to take for granted sight, hearing, mobility and even speech until you cross paths with someone less fortunate than you. Simple things can be easily taken for granted until you are faced with losing them or see someone who already has.

The people in our lives are sometimes taken for granted. Family and friends are always around so it is easy to assume they always will be. It is easy to volunteer these people for gatherings, tasks, and jobs they may not want to do. Family is one of the easiest to take for granted because they are there day in and day out. It is easy to put off playing the game your child wants to play or relaxing on the sofa with your spouse because you are busy and know you can get to those things later. Later soon turns in to the next day or next week. What if the next day or next week never came? Those would be the memories that haunted for the rest of your or their days.

Health is easy to take forgranted until it takes a downhill turn. We do not realize how important proper diet and exercise is until we are looking our doctor square in the eyes hearing the worst news we could imagine. It is then we realize we must change our lifestyle, take medication the rest of our lives, or else face an early diminish.

We are all guilty of taking things for granted. No one is perfect and it is alright. The important thing is to realize what we take for granted and make amends to change them before our time runs out. Mistakes of yesterday may not always be able to be fixed later so it is important to make peace with yourself and others now. If you never get the chance to fix something you will end up with regret. Regret will harbor gulit which in turn will lead to sadness each negative factors and not something you need in your life. Live life to appreciate the things which you have and when you slip up and realize you are taking things for granted take a minute to fix it.

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