Live today in brilliant color for tomorrow is coming soon
In less than 30 days, if I am still alive, and I hope to be, my birthday will come, and I will have lived 24,088 days. In the grand scheme of things, this is but the blink of an eye, a blip in time, and yet, I believe my time on earth has been amazing, momentous, and important.
My goal was to join like-minded others to leave the world better than we found it. Some days I think we’ve succeeded, others I just keep praying. Before I turned 25, everything seemed to move at turtle speed—then at 25 years and one day, it was like for every year I lived, two went by.
Before I knew it, I was in the “over 64” age category and qualified for senior discounts and other cool perks, so, be clear, I’m too excited about being alive to whine–I’m simply reminding us that if we intend to change the world, we’d better get busy.
Here are a few opportunities for our next 24,088 days (66 years):
- November is National Adoption Month, so, consider (1) adopting a child, especially an older one; (2) supporting ministries that care for children waiting to be adopted; (3) becoming a foster parent; and (4) supporting legislation for young adults who age out of the foster care system but still need support.
Children need loving parents (perfect ones would be nice but they don’t exist) and forever homes. We’ve heard horror stories about neglect and abuse, so we know more of us need to offer stability and kindness to the children of the world.
- Celebrate Veterans Day, November 11, by being intentional with our heroes and sheroes. This is the perfect time to treat veterans and their family to lunch, to send a note of thanks, to support wounded warrior groups, and lobby for adequate support for veterans and their families.
My dad was and three of my brothers are veterans, and my father swore the best doctors on earth worked for the Veterans Administration, so we entrusted his care to them. As beneficiaries of their service and sacrifices, let’s advocate for and invest in adequate funding so veterans can be cared for and fully return to their lives and families.
- Finally, please understand that whatever you’re doing all day every day, somebody’s paying attention and will want to be like you. November is Inspiration Role Model month and whether you consider yourself to be, or you really are a role model, somebody’s looking up to you.
Years ago in an interview, basketball legend Charles Barkley, famously said people shouldn’t hold him up as an example of how to live because he wasn’t a role model. Sorry, Sir Charles, you and your colleagues and other entertainers are the ones many young people want to be like when they grow up. They usually don’t see the hard work, rigor, or downfalls –they see glamour, fast cars, beautiful women, and the “good” life. The stories of the broken and has-beens are usually hidden in the small print or in the documentaries insomniacs get at 2 a.m.
When we are kind, helping our neighbors and communities, donating to empowerment causes, lifting as we climb—these are the things that matter, that transform hearts and minds, that leave an indelible mark on the world. Some of us get 24,088 days to make this happen—others have more, some fewer, but today is a good day to be or become a beacon of light and hope, to reach out and touch somebody’s hand, and make this world a better place. Together we can.
Looking for inspiration, empowerment, uplift, straight talk, an encouraging word to brighten your day? You’ve arrived! Meet Dr. Cynthia Ann Bond Hopson, best-selling author, educator, inspirational speaker, sistergirl–she’s all that and more. Now listen to her new podcast, “Three Stores, Two Cotton Gins, One Remarkable Life: The Journey from There To Here,” and meet her favorite family and friends as they share laughter and heartwarming life lessons. Look for it on this page or wherever you get your favorite podcasts
