Enjoy Every Day in 2022. From our House to Yours! Photo © J. Elke Ertle. www.walled-in-berlin.com
Barely the day started, and it’s already six in the evening.
It’s barely Monday, and then it’s already Friday.
.. and the month is already over.
.. and the year is almost over.
.. and already 20, 30 40, 50, 60 or 70 years of our lives have passed.
.. and we may have lost parents, family and friends.
.. and we recognize it’s too late to go back.
Therefore, let’s try to enjoy every day in 2022.
Let’s look for activities we like.
Let’s put color in the ordinary.
Let’s smile at the little things in life that put joy in our hearts.
And despite whatever problems we encounter, let’s enjoy
every minute of the day that we have.
Let’s try to eliminate the “afters.”
I’m doing it after this and that.
I’ll say after.
I’ll think about it after.
We leave everything for later as if “after” were ours.
What we don’t realize is that:
Afterwards, the coffee gets cold.
Afterwards, priorities change.
Afterwards, the charm is broken.
Afterwards, the kids grow up.
Afterwards parents get old.
Afterwards, promises are forgotten.
Afterwards, the day turns to night.
Afterwards, health passes.
Afterwards, life ends.
And then it’s often too late.
So, let’s leave nothing for later.
Because by waiting for later,
We can lose the best moments,
The best experiences,
The best friends,
The best family.
Remember, the day is today.
The moment is now.
It often looks like an eternity, but it’s only a short trip,
Enjoy Every Day in 2022 and be kind to each other.
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.
Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
