Savor or Seize the Moment, Whichever You Prefer

By Dennis Murawski

Well, friends, last month was 40 years since we walked down the Holy Cross auditorium aisles to receive our diplomas. Life has been filled with all that we filled it with, or let slip by. I find it hard to believe that I am approaching a new decade, and particularly one that begins with a six.

We are at the crossroads of life now, maybe a little past the intersection, a point in time, where we can look back and dimly see the beginning of the journey or look forward with clearer sight and see the end, be it our own, or perhaps our parent’s if we are lucky enough to still have them. Maybe, we are blessed and see the beginning when we hold a new grandchild, which I will do today.

My 88-year-old mother keeps telling me to “seize the moment.” As I look back, she has not always been right, but I think she hit the nail on its head with this one. Occasionally, I will sit back and think about my life, what I have done, what I have failed to do. Both unwritten columns have numerous entries. I also keep an index card in my pocket, to jot down things I need to do. My wife, Pam, says I make too many lists.

Looking back, there is a lot of time that is filled with the stuff you need to do just to live. Work – that thing that is interfering with more and more of my life. Housework – paying bills, shopping, cutting the grass, etc. Then there is the really good stuff that makes it all worthwhile – years ago playing with your kids, family trips, watching your kids play sports, or dance in a recital. Maybe there was volunteer work, like being involved in a church youth program for nine years, or doing evenings for engaged couples. Maybe it was coaching youth soccer, then high school soccer or adult/college soccer for the summer. We all have a list of things we’ve done.

I bring this up because, for me, the most enjoyable times I’ve had on this journey are those I spend with people. Maybe it is a primordial thing, or a team player thing. Maybe I enjoy finding out about people, where they’ve been, what they have done. I enjoy the frivolity and jokes of the moment, and the deep conversations about life, what we are doing here, politics, whatever. For me, sharing moments in our lives with friends is what it’s all about.

I am so looking forward to seeing all of you. It’s been 10 years since we were together and there is so much to talk about and share. There have been so many of you I didn’t get a chance to spend time with at the previous reunions, so this will be like a smorgasbord for me. And then there are those coming for the first time. Wow – there are 40 years of life to talk about!

I know that there are still a lot of you thinking about coming. As I’ve told my soccer teams when we are losing, time is not our friend now. We have the opportunity to stop the clock for 48 hours and revel in each other, our common four years at HC, sharing our life stories and expressing our hopes for the future. Then there’s the dancing. Five or ten years from now, the dancing will be slower than right now.

So you have a choice. You can seize and savor this moment in time, or you can put it in the column of ‘things I should have done.’ Either way, Monday October 13th will arrive. You can be basking in the afterglow of a wonderful weekend, or waking up and going back to work after a weekend of yard work, shopping, cooking, or whatever most of our lives are filled with. Sure hope I see you there. The work can wait!!!

Blogger’s Note: If anyone is hesitating to join us because they would be coming alone, please notify me or any committee member to set up any ‘singles’ sharing of rooms. The Flanders offers suites only, so two, three, or four people could be comfortable sharing. - BG