If you were to say to someone, “Don’t forget to live your life,” they’d probably look at you like you were crazy. After all, that’s what you’re doing. You’re out there, day after day, doing the best you can. Guess what? That’s not living, 
that’s enduring. When I think about it, it brings to mind this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Oh, the appropriateness of this quote in my life today. Well, actually in the life of one of my children. My little cherubs, well, they aren’t so little. Actually, they’re seniors in high school and making plans for college. I’m watching them get so caught up in what’s going to happen next year, and the year after that, they are missing out on the things going on right now.
I think a lot of people do that. I’m all for having a goal and making a plan to get there. Those are good qualities, but it’s just as important to live in the now and try new and different things. Life is an adventure. Don’t lose sight of that. Get out there and take some chances! Goals and plans are great – we need them, but we also need to remember, don’t forget to live your life while you are making those plans.
The funny thing about life is that the moments we remember later are rarely the ones we planned for. They’re the unexpected ones. The random conversations, the spontaneous road trips, the moments where we decided to say yes instead of maybe later.
Somewhere along the way, a lot of us stop doing that.
We start thinking life will begin when the next thing happens. When the kids graduate. When the promotion comes. When the house is paid off. When things slow down a little.
But here’s the truth. Life doesn’t really work like that.
If you keep waiting for the perfect time, you might wake up one day and realize you spent years preparing for a future that never quite arrived the way you imagined. That’s exactly why it’s so important to remember this simple idea: don’t forget to live your life.
Living your life doesn’t mean abandoning responsibility or throwing caution to the wind. It simply means remembering that today matters too.
It means laughing with your kids instead of just managing their schedules.
It means trying something new even if you’re not sure you’ll be good at it.
It means noticing the little things that make a day feel full instead of just productive.
There’s another quote that captures this idea beautifully:
“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”
John Lennon
Isn’t that the truth?
We spend so much time mapping out tomorrow that we forget today is actually happening right now. I don’t know how many times, or how many ways I can say it. It’s so important. Don’t get so bogged down in what’s to come that you forget about the right now. Don’t forget to live your life.
That’s part of why watching my kids right now has been such a reminder. They’re standing on the edge of adulthood, looking toward college, careers, and the future. Those are important things to think about, absolutely. But senior year only happens once.
The games, the friends, the ridiculous late-night laughter, the last school events, the little traditions that seem ordinary now but will become treasured memories later. Those things matter too.
And honestly, the same is true for the rest of us.
You don’t have to be seventeen for life to be happening right in front of you.
It’s happening when you sit down with a cup of tea before the day really begins.
It’s happening when you take a walk outside and notice the weather instead of rushing from one obligation to the next.
It’s happening when you write something just because you feel like it, or read a book that makes you smile, or call someone you’ve been meaning to talk to.
Those are the moments that make up a life.
So yes, make plans. Dream big dreams. Set goals and work toward them, but most of all, don’t forget to live your life!
Just don’t let those plans pull you so far into the future that you miss what’s unfolding right now.
Because the truth is simple.
Today isn’t a rehearsal.
It’s part of the story.
So make the plans. Work toward the future.
But every once in a while, pause and remind yourself of something important:
Don’t forget to live your life, and if you think you can’t, I’m here to say, “Yes, you can!”
