Yesterday I visited my doctor for a yearly physical – which has extended into more like a year and a half. With the pandemic, my usual six month checkups had taken a back seat. During that time, all kinds of thoughts develop in your mind. You imagine having COVID19 at least once a day. Every little symptom – from the smallest ache and pain to the one that shakes you up a bit – it becomes apparent that we are all mere mortals.

During my time in isolation, I’ve managed to stay busy mentally, but the time was spent mainly sitting down at my computer. When one sits for hours a day, she can expect most of her weight to shift to her bottom, which it did. I was convinced that I’d gained at least 30 pounds. I was pleasantly surprised to find I didn’t. I even gained an inch in height, which means I don;t have to have a bone density test. All my vitals were in the normal range and my asthma/aka COPD is well under control even without the use of a daily inhaler. In all good news. Looks like I’m good for another 10,000 miles. I also discovered that you can say “no” to a colonoscopy, a mammogram, a bone density test or any of those other nasty, intrusive tests that we all dread having.

However, we never know the hour or day of our final time on earth. Any one of us could be in harms way or distress at a moment’s notice. The point is, are we ready? I’ve had a couple of near death experiences in my life, so can attest to the fact that we never know when our time will come. That means we must make the most of every moment we’re still here. We can do that by sharing God’s amazing grace with other – through our writing, our art, our voice, our zeal, our passion for the wonderful message God has freely given us.

In the meantime, it’s always good to get a clean bill of health.

Life on this planet is but a whisper in the scheme of things.
We are born, we grow, we learn, we work, we die.
What has happened to all those days in between?

They have become food for dreams, memories to ponder,
Hopes to continue striving for. They get foggier as we age.
The windshield of our existence needs to be defrosted.

We have but a few years to leave our mark – to create a legacy –
To share with others – to love and be loved.
If only there were more of them. There’s so little time and so much to do.

I feel a nagging desire to complete every goal I set out before it’s too late.
I have words to share, friends and strangers who need encouragement.
I pray that God will find a way for me to do all that I need to get done.