My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's table and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not just a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk and handmade. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached. He continued, "Jane bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion." He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the funeral. Then he turned to me, "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."

　　I remembered those words and they've changed my life. Now I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I wear my good sports coat to the market if I feel like it. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware　 stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends. "Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good Friends whom I was going to get in touch with-someday. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write-one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, or save anything that would add laughter and brightness to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath-truly is...a gift.

让我们珍惜每一天

[b][i][b][b]Every day, every minute, every breath-truly is...a gift.[/b][/i][/b][/b]