Stop and soak

Today, I want to appreciate my life, as it is, right now.
There are many aspects of my world that will one day change, and I will never be able to go back.

1. Living alone.  I've been living in an apartment, by myself, since 2009. Before you know it I'll be married and someday have children and I'm sure I will long for a quiet place all by myself, cleaned and decorated to my own liking.
God, help me to soak up and appreciate the solitude, even when I feel it's too much.

2. NYC life. New York City is loud and busy and hectic and sometimes rough, but when I leave here I will miss it! As a teenager in Maine all I wanted was to be in a city. Today, sometimes I want to run away to a big house with a big yard.
God, help me to soak up and appreciate Manhattan, even when the cabbies literally deserve to be punched.

3. The Corps. Someday I will move away, and I will miss the people from NY Temple as well as the things that make this corps great! I'm sure I will have new struggles in a new place and this corps will seem like a wonderful past life. NY Temple isn't perfect yet, but I've got to appreciate the beauty it definitely has.
The other side of this is that one day I might not even be a Corps Officer (God forbid!). I hear HQ officers who miss corps life desperately, and I can see why.
God, help me to soak up and appreciate the Corps I am in today, even though it's hard work.

4. My youth. I'm only 26, I'm healthy and energetic, full of optimism and zeal. I have seen enough to know that many people miss being young. I look forward to maturing and growing. But I don't want to miss this fun season either!
God, help me to soak up and appreciate my youth, and not rush it along.

5. The people around me. My co-workers and employees, my neighbors, church family, friends, relatives... some of them will be in my life forever, but life has taught me that some of them won't.
God, help me to soak up and appreciate my relationships, even when people are hard to love.

Thank You for every blessing.