It could be too late to say “Thank you!”, “You
touched my heart!”, “You inspired me!”, “I appreciate you!”, “I love you!”.
….
The first time I saw this lady was probably more than three years ago. I
couldn’t get where I was aiming to get, so I had to entertain my brain for 15
minutes and a playing DVD caught my attention. She was on that DVD – sound was
poor, screen was small, but it didn’t matter – something in this lady captured
my heart and I was watching and listening, and experiencing, and feeling.
Months later I saw her in person in a crowd
and following my heart’s impulse without thinking went to hug her and tell her
that she touched my heart by her liveliness, openness, love and commitment to
be the best of herself.
A year or so later the Universe gave me an
opportunity to experience this lady in close proximity for six days. I
experienced more of her: she made me laugh, she made me think, I was inspired
by her leadership abilities, by how she made things happen, by her presence and
willingness to serve. I appreciated that experience highly and I told her about
it, and I told her how special she was to my heart. It was a year ago. We said
“Good Bye!” and didn’t keep in touch after that.
Today I got news that she is not around in
this physical world anymore. I learned the news and I started to reflect on
what she was in my life – not a close friend; not somebody I knew intimately,
or to any extent well; not somebody I got to spend a lot of time with – but she
was one those people who touched me on a deep level, whom I will never forget,
who have a special place in my heart. I love and appreciate all people, but
honestly not many of them have that special place in my heart.
I’ve been thinking about this person all day
today, and surprisingly I don’t feel miserable about the loss – I feel some
sadness, some blues, but mostly I feel gratitude, love, serenity. I asked myself why I don’t feel bitterness,
heaviness, desperation – after all, I will never meet this wonderful person
again. The answer I found so far is: in the relationship with this person I
never held back – I was present, I enjoyed the moment and I told her in the
moment how special she was, how I appreciated her, how she affected my life –
so there no regrets here, no should of, could of, would of… and I still feel
connected… and probably I will be in years to come…
…………….
We meet many people everyday, more every week, a lot during each year. Some of them are just another face in the movie called “Life”. Some of them are not just another face, but also a heart that beats in unison with our heart. Some of them for some reasons, some of them for no visible reason at all touch us on a deep level and we feel connected, inspired, loving, loved; because of them being in our lives we are becoming the better version of us, we grow, we expand, we learn. Some of them are here for a reason, some of them for a season, some of them for a lifetime. Whose lifetime? We never know when it will be a time to go, to move forward, and who will be first….
My learning: play fully in relationships with people who makes my heart sing – be present, add value, and right away tell them how I appreciate them. Don’t be caught in a trap of one day I’ll do something special for that person because she is so special to me, that something special for her should be very special, so I need some extra time to specially make it very special. Make it simple – “Thank you”, “Love you”, a hug, a smile, a touch, an eye contact, a five minutes of full attention, an e-mail, a phone call…. as long as it comes from heart…. a present of connection…
If it is a brand new person in my life and right away I feel connected – invest in the relationships, take a first step. Sometimes it is not very comfortable to tell strangers how you appreciate them, or how they make you feel – but do it anyway.
…..
It could be too late to say “Thank you!”, “You touched my heart!”, “You inspired me!”, “I appreciate you!”, “I love you!”. Don’t wait – do it now! – call your mom, e-mail your friend, hug your husband, pet your dog. Do it now! Do it every time you are with them. And do it again and again. Every day show your love and appreciation to people who are close to your heart. Tell them specifically why they are so special to you, what specifically you appreciate about them. Show your love and appreciation to the strangers who for some reason awakened this love and appreciation in your heart – tell them specifically what it is so great about them – it may or may not make a difference in their day, or in their life, but it is definitely will make a difference in yours because you will have no regrets and if not this person, than another with these qualities will fit that special place in your heart.
….
Love you,
Natasha