Health and Family - The Things That Actually Matter

This year has been chaotic for me and my family, despite not being affected by covid directly. We have lost someone who has been the guiding figure for multiple families and we have spent many days and hours at hospitals, after refraining from stepping out of the house for several days at the beginning of the pandemic. Several of my family members are silently battling their own health issues every single day. It seems never ending and every bad news came as a shock one after the other. 

I am reminded yet again that health, family and home are the most important things - if any of those parts are miserable, our entire life itself gets pathetic. Any other fancy bucket list item and grand vacation at a coziest/expensive place are just a very tiny fraction of our lives. All the worries about work, bills to be paid, things to chase and other million worries are secondary. It's the things we don't worry about, which become the show stoppers of our life. 

 

This reminds me of the  famous article - Wear Sunscreen by Mary Schmich.

"Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.

The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young."

We use the terms - "before it's too late", for bucket lists. It's far more important in the context of health and family. Pay attention to the warning signs, get full body health checkups - better be extra careful, than sorry. 

One day you are in your own world - lost in your hobbies and addictions and then out of nowhere, the wheel breaks the butterfly, you grow up, your world is shook, you lose interest in the less important stuff which have dominated your life, you regret spending time on trivial pursuits and for the harsh words you have used with your family.

Hope you have loads of happy quality times with your family to cherish forever.