"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." –Mark Twain
During the week, I prefer to be a homebody at night. After work, I like to cook supper, and then kick back by watching a baseball game. Then I'll do a little blogging and if it's not too late, then I'll either read or watch a movie. I could exist in that pattern for longer than I'd like to admit. But I realized something a few years ago—none of those things matter if I'm not closely connected with people.
So, I joined a bowling team. I take my niece out to eat once a week. I meet friends for dinner fairly often or we go to see a movie. I started teaching a class at church. And all of it has been so much fun. Once in a while, as I'm looking over my social calendar for the coming week, I'll feel a little overwhelmed, but I always end up thinking about how much I enjoy myself when I'm with other people. And ultimately that causes me to look forward to a busy schedule rather than dreading it.
I'm pretty sure that as my life draws to a close one day that I won't remember many specific nights in which I sat at home by myself. But I bet I'll be able to recall many specific instances in which my life was enriched by spending time with people. I'll remember jokes amongst friends, ball games, church picnics, family gatherings, birthday parties, wedding receptions, and many great conversations spent over meals in restaurants.
Schedules can become too busy and when that happens, adjustments are necessary. But a change in perspective about our schedules might help us to see that the events on our schedules are the perfume of life rather than obstacles that keep us from enjoying life.
