My friend Maggi, when confronted with a mound of trivia that got in the way of things both important and urgent, was heard to say “Life is too short for matching socks."
I am not in the habit of going sockless and I am certainly not in the habit of wearing mismatched hosiery. But, when faced with a mound of freshly laundered socks that need to be matched and put away, and I know that the washing machine or the dryer or the laundry basket has eaten at least one, I tend to agree with Maggi -- life is too short for matching socks and much too short to spend endlessly caught up in the fat of very thin things.
Mismatched socks are a small thing, easily solved with a tiny bit of effort. There are a lot of much larger things that life is too short for.
Life is too short for "should have", "could have", and "would have". Life must be lived in the present. The experiences of the past not only cannot be changed, but are common to all possible futures.
Yesterday’s gone. Life is too short to hold on to regrets about what you should have, could have, or would have done. No amount brooding over could have, should have, or would have done can change it.
Life is too short for bitterness and resentment. Bitterness poisons the personality. Resentment poisons the soul. As difficult as it may be, let go of it. Life is too short to hold onto the cold prickliness of bitterness and resentment. To hold on is a decision you get to make every day of your life. So is to let go. Decide to let go, and get on with living.
Life is too short to carry a grudge. Grudges are very heavy. Grudges weigh you down. And grudges abrade you like an ill-fitted back pack that leaves you irritated beneath where you carry it. Trust life to take care of getting things even. Learn and go forward. Put down your grudge and move smartly into life.
Life may be too short for matching socks. Life is definitely too short for a lot of other things. Let’s get rid of those other things, the should haves, could haves and would haves; the bitterness; the resentments; the ill-feelings and grudges. Those things hold us in the past. Instead, let's leave what is past in the past and, having learned from it, let us step boldly into the future.
Life is too short not to.
