What is something that we receive daily, but cannot exchange or return?

It’s been said that time waits for no one and I’ve seen up close and personal just how true that statement really is.  As a kid, every year our family took summer vacations to wherever our annual family reunion was being held.  For me, this was always the highlight of my summer.  I loved when my mom popped an 8-track in the dash and let it play for hours as we drove to our destination.

In many ways, the trip itself was sometimes more fun than actually arriving.  I come from a pretty big family so we generally had a fairly large convoy of vehicles and usually hit the road late at night to get a good start and avoid traffic. I’m talking late 80s/early 90s here–looong before the days of mobile phones, so our caravan of cars kept in contact via CB radio.

“Breaker, Breaker 1-9, this is the kid. Over.”

I was fascinated as I listened to my dad and our other cousins communicate with each other simply by pressing a button.  About the only negative memory I have of those road trips is the fact that both my parents were heavy cigarette smokers.  I hated the smell of smoke with a passion! So much so, that my father would bring along a gas mask for me.

Back in the days when you could openly smoke in the airport

No Escaping the Smoke!

Thinking back, I wish I could see the faces of all those people driving past us as they saw an eight year old kid standing up in the backseat while wearing a gas mask.

As amazing as these family trips were; however, the thought of international travel never once crossed my mind. My parents didn’t travel internationally, so why would I?  Moreover, my mentality was: “

“There’s no way a little kid from Gary, Indiana was ever going to see places like Rome, Paris, Tokyo, or multiple countries on the African continent.”

Despite that mentality, after I graduated high school and started college, things started looking up.  During my freshman year at university I was able to take part in a travel study program that took me to Egypt after my spring semester.  It was truly amazing! I returned with stories and souvenirs and pictures…but perhaps the most valuable thing I returned home with was my desire to see more.   Not just me though, I wanted my entire family to share the same excitement I felt. Well, sure enough, a little over six months later my father retired and my parents were making big plans.  They purchased a multi-country cruise and were all set to take sail that July.

My mother never boarded that cruise ship.

Less than one month before their departure, my mom passed away unexpectedly.  It was, by far, the most difficult thing I had (and still have) ever been through, but I feel truly blessed and fortunate to have had 19 amazing years with her.  I was with her as she said her final words and, unlike the experience with my grandmother many years prior, I was able to say goodbye as I wiped the last tear from my mother’s face while she gave everything she could to hang onto her life.

From a boy, to the man I am today…I Love You Mom

In case you’re still wondering what the answer to the initial question I posed is–it’s time.  If there’s something that you want to do or achieve in life, don’t continue to put it off and think that time is automatically given to us. Make every day count. Make every day special. Make every day yours.

In the comments below, share something you’ve been wanting to do for a long time but have continuously put off?