Slow down

This poem that was the prompt for my morning reflection really struck a chord with my intention this week.  It was apparently written by a young cancer patient being treated in a hospital in NYC who had been told that her condition was terminal, and that she had only months to live. 

"Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round, or listened to rain slapping the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight, or gazed at the sun fading into the night?

You better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly,
when you ask "How are you?", do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,
with the next hundred chores running through your head?

You better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last.

Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow, and in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch, let a friendship die, 'cause you never had time to call and say hi?

You better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere, you miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day, it's like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life isn't a race, so take it slower, hear the music before your song is over."

Whilst the origins of the poem are disputed, the content resonates somewhere very deep within me and this morning served as a beautiful reminder of the precious-ness of life.  Life is nothing if we do not live it.  Each and every day is precious.  When we remain caught up, thinking about yesterdays, or coveting tomorrow, we are apt to miss what really matters.  This one unique day.