There’s no present like the time

When I was a child and there was a task I was avoiding that needed to be completed my brother would say to me in a flippant tone of voice, “There’s no present like the time.” He meant, of course, “There’s no time like the

As you transition from working to not working, both statements are true. Having the time to work on a project you have put off or finally traveling to a desired destination is truly a present. And there is no better time than now to accomplish your heart’s desire.  We all assume we have more time. But how often do we take care of the trivial and neglect the truly important in our lives? Perhaps more often than we would like to

We assume we will be able to apologize for mean-spirited comments or to tell someone we are sorry for words spoken in anger. Surely we will have time in the future to repair relationships that have deteriorated over the years. The truth is we do not know how many days we have left. If there is something you want or need to do – do

This lesson is one I learned early in life. I was working at my first job after graduating from college and I lived halfway across the country from my parents. My mother called me to tell me she purchased a plane ticket so I could return home for Christmas. Rather than being appreciative and grateful, I spent most of our phone call lamenting my lack of a boyfriend and complaining about.my job. I threw myself a pity party on a grand scale. Finally, I stopped my tirade, wrote down my flight information, and ended the

About five minutes after we hung up, a voice in my head said “Call her back.” I resisted. I had just spoken with her. Why did I need to talk to her again? “Call her back.” The voice was insistent and urgent.. “CALL HER BACK!!!!” The voice now seemed to be screaming in my

I reluctantly dialed my parent’s number and waited as the phone began to ring. My Mom answered quickly. I told her I was sorry I had been such a brat on the phone. “I forgot to tell you two things: how much I’m looking forward to coming home and how much I love you.” She accepted my apology and we talked for a few more minutes. We said our goodbyes and I hung up the phone. I had no way of knowing those would be the last words I would speak to her.  The next morning she was critically injured in a car accident and never regained

Perhaps that is why I try to make amends and apologize for less than gracious actions quickly. I am truly committed to making the rest of the years of my life the best of the years of my life. I recognize and avoid toxic relationships and energy vampires.  In a phase of life where it is easy to be rigid and unforgiving, I actively work at being flexible and forgiving. There are of course times that I fail in my quest. But I realize there is no time like the present to work on creating a life that I love – a life with few

What are you putting off that you would regret not doing? How can you enrich your life? What relationships do you need to heal? What habits do you need to change? What trips would you like to take? There is no present like the time.

Kathryn Avery

About Kathryn Avery

When Kathryn Severns Avery’s husband, Chris, began contemplating retirement in 2014, she knew they had to quickly come up with a multi-faceted plan. They spent the next year discussing, sometimes heatedly, what they would do once he stopped working. On paper their plan looked exciting. They would head from Colorado to the 1891 sea captain’s house they bought and renovated in Rockland on Maine’s midcoast. But the reality of planning and implementing retirement was much different than expected. Kathryn has worked in radio, television, marketing, and public relations. She is the author of five books and has written articles on interior design and crafts for national and regional publications including Romantic Homes, Log Homes Illustrated, The Rocky Mountain News and Colorado Homes and Lifestyles.