Life is not a "dress rehearsal" . . .

Life is not a dress rehearsal . . .

Tim Connor

Each of us is born, spend all our days searching for peace, success, love, happiness, freedom, pleasure and then we die. Some people leave a positive legacy behind while others leave a destructive one. Some people contribute to the lives of their fellow man while others only take from society. And some people have a positive impact on the world while others have a negative one.

Why the difference? I can't answer that question in 200 words.

What I can say is, that each of us has the gift of a new day, a new chance and a new responsibility to serve if we were blessed enough to see another sunrise.

Life is not a dress rehearsal for something later or better. Each day is the first and last act of the personal performance of our lives. Some people seem to live with the illusion that life will be better when they are older, wiser, richer, more famous, happier, busier, better looking, retired, or a million other reasons. Not so. Life is either good or not good, now regardless of your circumstances. Yes, you may be richer later, but who is to say you will need or even want the wealth later? Yes, you may be wiser later in life but who is to say you were not wise now? Yes, you may be more famous later but what does real fame mean?

So many people chase the illusions of life with a rigorous zeal hoping that somehow life will be better "when or if". Sorry folks. Life is now. This is not a dress rehearsal for your next life.

Yes, we can change, learn, grow and improve to help make what's next in our life better in some way, but there are no guarantees they will work, or we will be able to enjoy or benefit from them.

So bask in the sunshine or the shade, whichever you prefer, now, be happy now, have fun now, love now, work now, spend money now, save for a rainy day now, and feel gratitude for the life you have, now it's all that is guaranteed!

It doesn't really get better (and this depends on how each of us chooses to define better) later, just different. If you are not happy where you are now - it's unlikely you will be even happier where you aren't - yet. Life is not about tomorrow or yesterday. It is about now. So, don't worry if you forget your lines, misplace your costume - today is not the dress rehearsal it's - SHOWTIME!