Take time out to live and love

I recently made the choice to take a vacation. Alone. To another state. To visit someone very important to me. I spent 3 days there cooking up my Nana's favorites,

cleaning up her little house and otherwise enjoying the peaceful country. I saw the old family farm,

graveyard,

and traveled around her little town that doesn't even have a real Walmart. In all my years of going there, not very much has changed. Its so quiet, so peaceful. Everyone is friendly, even if they don't drive according to the same rules as the rest of the nation. I got to slow down for a while. And my Nana shared so many wonderful stories with me. 

My Nana is 81 years old. Her mind is sharp but her body has given up on her. She's outlived her only child, most (if not all) her ex husbands, and a huge chunk of her relatives. Her sister has the beginning of Alzheimers and lives in another town that is too far for either to drive to see the other. Nana's only companion now is a little kitten she adopted. 

My Nana has lived a full life. She's seen Europe, lived through WWII, worked so many different types of jobs, loved and been loved by so many... And now she's at the end of her journey. Her days of excitement are over. She sits, watching tv, and the most movement she has if taking a bath.  Its hard to see her like this, but it reminds me that life is fleeting. Nothing should be left undone. Live without regrets and get through that bucket list, if you will. You never know when your days of doing and being will be over. For some, it comes far too soon. 

So do something that is totally you. Like this guy, I saw at a gas station on my way home...