The Life Advice I Wish I’d Learned 20 Years Ago

Photo by James Lee on Unsplash

Life advice should be simple.

And mostly, it should easily integrated into our lives. It should help us live happier. Or healthier. It should even show us how to become more meaningful versions of ourselves.

But what do we do with the life lessons we get in our lives?

I’ll tell you a short story about life advice I wish I had heard (and integrated) into my life 20 years ago.

The Waiting

This summer, I had to make the decision to put down my dog, Bear, who was about to turn 18. I could feel the unthinkable moment coming as his health deteriorated. I could feel the sadness and grief and memories of my adult companion slipping away as each day moved closer to his end.

The day I took him to the vet was the day I tried to stop time. I wanted to extend every last precious moment with him. I wanted to love him. I wanted to thank him. Kiss him. Run with him. Play with him. I thought about how many times in the past I let the present moment slip away with him; the days I yelled at him, the days I was moody and didn’t give him a chance to be happy in nature because I was too busy worrying about the peripheral things in my life.

Not being fully present in all the previous moments I had with my dog felt heavy and…