Cheerios – Savor Every Bite

As I am writing this it is early Sunday morning. My wife is getting some well deserved “sleeping-in” time and I am watching our 10-month old son discover Cheerios. Oh, this isn’t the first time he’s had them. But no matter how many he eats, he carefully studies each one as though it holds the secrets of the universe. Personally, I think he’s absolutely right – the secret to life is to enjoy it one Cheerio at a time.

In my presentation “What’s Your Expiry Date?” I talk about the fact that we are often so preoccupied with time and schedules that we can forget about the things in our lives that are truly important. Having a child in your life really makes you aware of how precious each moment is.

Today is my son’s 10-month birthday and I can hardly believe that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing him for 10 months already! My wife and I know how blessed we are to have a healthy, happy baby in our lives and we often talk about “the old days”. No, not the days before we were parents – but the days since we brought our son home. Like the day he first smiled, or the first tooth (he has 6 teeth now!), or the day that he began to crawl. It has only been 10 months, but already so much has changed and it changes one Cheerio at a time.

Too often we get caught up in something I call “the once trap”.

“Once I get that promotion…”
“Once I meet someone…”
“Once I lose this extra weight…”

It is very easy to try to live our lives in the future. Our goal-oriented society just adds to the pressure. But we need to be mindful and remember that ONCE is exactly how many chances we get at living THIS day.

I know that it won’t be too long before my son no longer finds wonder in each Cheerio. But this morning, he has taught me another important lesson and reminded me to savour every bite of life.

ENJOY NOW!

If this resonates with you, you need to take the Mortality Manifesto Pledge – and start choosing the life you want to live!