"At Peace With Yourself"

While on a plane to the West Coast recently, I sat next to an amazing lady. We'll call her "Dot." She was so excited about taking a 3 week cruise (I get seasick in a porch swing-so it held no appeal to me). She was in her 70's traveling alone, and just had a marvelous presence about her. As she began to unfold her life's journey to me it became apparent that she had several reasons not to be so calm and collected. Her marriage had included raising 4 children as the spouse of someone in the Navy, living in several different places around the world. One of her children is mentally challenged, and continues to live with them even as an adult. Her husband is suffering from dementia and she has endured some tough times working with him.

But as I sat listening to her, I couldn't help but hear how excited she was about all the good things in her life and how much she treasured the relationships with her friends, family and even strangers like me. You just couldn't leave this woman's presence without feeling better about life. Dot was at peace with herself. Why? Because she had done her best every day, whether it was caring for her children, working as a school nurse or managing challenges with her aging husband.

Her story reminded me of how important it is to give life your best every day. Whether it's on the job, in your family role or just in taking care of yourself. Making that a priority offers you the chance to have a sense of peace that nothing can take away... at any age.