To Be or Not To Be

TO HAVE:
These were the days. I need my diaper changed. I'm hungry. Then came the, "I want that cereal, not this stuff." When Mom went to th grocery store, she dreaded going to the cereal aisle; maybe even left you around the corner so she could buy what she thought best instead of the one with the trinket inside. Then there came the toys at Christmas or birthday. The highly advertised brightly colored cheap snap-to-gether plastic that had to have batteries. The batteries lasted longer than the toy. Those were the preliminaries. The terrible teens approached..

Certain shoes, jeans that were worn and torn before they were your'n. The peek-a-boo hairdo; made you look one eyed. All the heartaches and lost loves. Learning to drive. Your first trip by yourself. Your first date with the car for transport. A world filled with things TO HAVE.

TO DO:
High school is behind and, if you have been a good kid, college or university is on the immediate horizon and decision time is near. What TO DO for the next forty or so years to support the lifestyle I desire. By the second year you have picked a major to follow but things are complicated. You have met this person who wants to get married right now. Decision time again: What TO DO. Hopefully you make the right decision, complete your studies, get the position you desire, meet the mate of your dreams, have the family you always wanted, and the years roll swiftly by.

The children are grown and gone, retirement approaches, maybe there are two of you to spend those years together. The house is too large: too many empty beds.
decisions, decisions!!

TO BE:
In late years in life, to have many things becomes less important. In fact you may be wishing you had less to be concerned and burdened with. Our choice of what TO DO as a profession during your productive years is in the past. Now we are faced with one of the most momentous decisions of our life. What TO BE and what NOT TO BE: that is the question. This is not a Shakespearean Play: What do we want TO BE in the years ahead? As a couple, do you want to move to something smaller and not so burdensome? Can you afford to do some traveling? Do you just want to stay in the neighborhood and stay involved with friends, church, schools, charitable work?

Maybe there is no longer a mate with which to make decisions. Why bother with what TO DO. Watch TV. Read books, Go to the club and get drunk, Die. No decisions to make. There are alternatives.

There was something you excelled out all of your life and wanted TO DO it for enjoyment but never had the time. What is preventing it now. Decide TO DO it. Is there a place you have always wanted to see but couldn't due to your mates sickness or other considerations. Plan the trip, buy your ticket, decide TO DO it.

It will come as a great surprise when you learn the pleasure you can have and others can share with you when you make that choice.

Decide today: TO BE active. TO DO what you have always wanted. TO HAVE pleasure in each day by interacting with others. In this way, you choose TO BE.