Once in a Lifetime

Patsy Collins

Extra rich hot chocolate - with whipped cream,
marshmallows, candy stirrer, flake, sprinkles, and chocolate cookies
on the side

At least once in every lifetime there will be a day more full of joy
than any other. When a smile is never absent. A day when the sun seems
to shine a little more brightly just for you; when the wind drops to a
welcome breeze. When the lights are always green and the milk doesn’t
spill. It might be your wedding day, or last day at school. You may
discover God or a friend you had lost. Perhaps you’ll win the lottery,
or the Champion's League. Maybe it will be the first time you hold
your child, or hear her call you Mummy. For a few there will be many
such days, fortune will favour them. Their joy will smile from their
mouth and sparkle in their eyes.
Some will have little luck, enduring a lifetime of hardship and
suffering. But joy may reach even them. Someone might care enough to
help. Perhaps there will be a day when there’s enough food to eat and
the promise of more in the future. With help they could have many such
days. There can be pleasure too in saving a life, feeding the hungry,
doing the right thing. Joy can be a gift we bring when we share our
money, or time or talent or love. Happiness is contagious, make sure
yours is passed on. Offer a smile and watch it spread.
Others will have a chance to create their own joy. Their once in a
lifetime moment will be reaching the mountain summit or learning to
stand without crutches. These peaks and supports may be real for all
to see. They may be personal, metaphoric challenges. Learning to face
our fears can release us from their powerful hold. Risking failure and
disappointment allows us to aim for success. Try for the job you want,
send your novel to the publisher, tell your lover how you feel. Sow
the seed, maybe it will flower. Your smile will continue on another’s
face after you have walked by.
But it’s not for me this one surge of happiness. There won’t be that
once only day of joy. Every moment of every day is here but once. I
want each and every one to be happy. I’ll try not to hear the traffic
and arguing neighbours. Instead I’ll listen for birdsong and
children’s laughter. I’ll look into scruffy gardens for a flower
freshly opened. If it rains I’ll look for the rainbow. If I don’t see
it I’ll watch the grubby streets as they are washed clean. When the
sun shines I’ll know the warmth is there for me. When night falls the
sparkling stars will dance for me. I’ll sow lots of seeds, some will
surely flower. My smiles will be reflected in every face I see.
Life is a once only event. Some things will happen once only it that
lifetime. But the moments that can be happy, the times that we smile -
there’s no limit for them.


patsy-collins.blogspot.com