I was thinking about my dad who passed away nearly two years ago.
I was with him the day he died and as I reflected over that day,
The things we talked about,
The laughing and crying we did together,
Helping him with personal care,
Making him comfortable and just enjoying being together.
If I had known he was going to die in a few short hours,
Would I have done things differently?
Hello,
My name is Jacqueline and welcome to my Tranquil Spirits podcast.
Hindsight and reflection can cause us to feel bad,
Disappointed and even upset,
Especially when we feel we could have done or said things differently during certain situations.
One thing we can be sure of,
We cannot change the past.
To help me with this thought,
I have to believe and know that in every moment,
The choice and decision I made,
I felt it was right at the time.
So moving forward,
What have I learned from this and what could I do differently now?
Talk to people more.
Talk to the people you have around you,
Who you love and care about,
Especially the people who are not judgmental or opinionated.
Find your tribe who are understanding towards your feelings and emotions,
Those who will give you what you need,
Not what they think you need.
Be that advice,
A hug or even just silence.
Those can help you understand that by letting disappointments and anger go,
You will find peace as you move forward in your life.
Reach out to family members or friends you don't connect with often.
Don't wait for their funeral to send them flowers.
Take or send the flowers to them so they can enjoy the beauty of them whilst they are alive.
So many times I hear at funerals,
Oh I was going to call last week but time slipped away and now it's too late.
Time is something we all have a relatively small amount of,
So prioritise some of it,
Even just a few moments to reach out to people you care about.
I know for me a five-minute call from someone means just as much as an hour call.
It's a simple thing to do but a sign that they care.
If a thought of someone pops into your mind,
Don't dismiss it,
Reach out to them.
It may be the universe letting you know that they need your attention or just need a simple hello to remind them that someone cares.
I know the warm feeling I get when someone I don't hear from often unexpectedly calls or sends a text.
It can also be a comfort in a lonely moment which many of us experience from time to time.
Don't just say,
Oh we must get together soon.
You know how that thought fades from your mind.
As soon as you catch yourself saying that to someone,
Reach for your calendars and make a date.
Time moves fast for us all and we don't want to hear ourselves say at their funeral,
I really meant to go and see them.
Do it now,
Find the time,
Even if it's just 10 minutes and make that date.
You won't regret it.
Have you ever had a disagreement with someone and then became so stubborn as you waited for them to reach out and apologize first because in your mind it was their fault and not yours?
Disagreements always seem pointless when that person dies and more often than not leaves us wishing we had not been so stubborn.
If you find yourself in a disagreement with someone,
Especially someone you care about,
Swallow your pride and reach out now.
Calm the waters before it becomes too hard to tame.
We know life is short.
We hear people say it all the time.
So why do we waste it?
Why don't we reach out to people more often?
I know many people live in a different country to the people they care about or are unable to travel even a few hours in the same country to get to friends or family but the majority of us have mobile phones or computers.
Video calls are the next best thing to being there in person and hearing a loved one's voice can lift our spirits any time of day.
So what are you going to do differently to stay connected to the people in your life?
Send me a message and let me know and if you have any other tips or tricks you use I would love to hear about those too.
Thanks for listening.
Have a beautiful day,
You deserve it and remember always follow that dream.
Thanks again for listening and I'll speak to you again soon on my next Tranquil Spirits podcast.
Bye for now.
