You just never know what life will bring you. When I first heard about Aimee Copeland’s zipline accident this summer and her contracting the flesh-eating bacteria well it was scary. I just can’t imagine the difficult decisions that had to be made for her to survive, and the emotional cost. I thought who wouldn’t be left feeling sad and bitter over the changes to their body. But watching Aimee talk with Katie Couric well this quote sums it up “[Life’s] a beautiful thing… even more so now,” Copeland told Katie on her new daytime talk show, “Senses are so deepened. Everything is more vibrant, more beautiful.” Wow, what Aimee said just shows that she has a strong heart. Listening to her talk with Katie about her new life and journey to getting better was not sad, instead it was an uplifting testament to the human spirit!
Now go with me for a minute. Thinking about Aimee’s journey makes me think about how important living in the moment is, and how being present in our lives needs to be the norm, not the exception. Does social media help or hinder us in this pursuit? I love that you can use social media to keep up with friends and family. Facebook, Pinterest, Foursquare and Twitter lets people know what you’re thinking, where you’ve been and what you like, but perhaps they should be used to enhance your human connections. Perhaps, they shouldn’t be used to replace human contact with those you love and care about. I know I’m guilty of tweeting instead of calling and checking in, or basically checking out with the friends standing RIGHT in front of me!
When you hear about stories like Aimee’s, when something unexpected happens that is so life altering, it can’t help but make you wish you could go back in time. You wish you had listened to them when they were talking. You wish that you had taken the time to spend with them, and just cherish the simple moments. Put down the iPhone. Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone. I can say I know that feeling from personal experience, like when my grandparents died within six months of each other. Words can’t express the regret I felt for not spending as much time with them as I should have, when I was ‘too busy’ to have a long talk on the phone and didn’t make time for them. Katie’s theme song by Sheryl Crow’s ‘This Day’ is a great reminder that you have to make sure that EVERY day is this day and is important. And I think Katie’s new show is getting off to a great start showing me and others how to prioritize ourselves and our loved ones while we still have the option. I look forward to this season of Katie and all it has to deliver. Katie and I are definitely going to be living in the moment!
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