A Stop On the Road of Life

With three kids, a business, a husband with a business, a house, a yard, and a very close extended family, my time is at a premium. This means Iâ??m usually running as fast as I can to keep up with everythingâ?"and sometimes failing miserably in that endeavor. Recently I was caught between two major obligations, driving from one to the other, and late again.

In my mind I was ticking off all that had to be done when I got home: make supper, give the kids a bath, help with homework, straighten the house, lay out clothes for the morning, pay the bills, reconcile the bank statementsâ?¦ when suddenly the pickup in front of me put on his blinker and veered over to the empty lane beside us. I hit the brakes and then realized why he had stopped. A funeral procession.

Instantly although my first thought was, â??Oh, no! I donâ??t have time for this!â?? I, too pulled to the side of the road, turned off my radio and stopped just as the policeman and the hearse passed. I looked beyond them to see how many cars with lights there were and realized I was going to be there for a while.

Turns out, I had no idea how long â??a whileâ?? would be. Because the procession was actually coming around a corner up the road, I couldnâ??t actually see the whole thing, which could easily have been 200 cars or more. Nonetheless, as I sat there in silence, perspective began to fall around me. Here we on this side of the road were, living our lives, driving in the fast lane to get what we had to get done, seeming to have no time as it was, but when we needed toâ?"out of courtesy or obligationâ?"we stopped.

Life stopped so that we could all take a moment to recognize not only the grief of one family, but so that we could recognize that we, too, will one day be at the head of that funeral procession.

See, death and 24-hours, are the two great equalizers in this lifetime. We each have 24-hours to live our lives each day. You cannot buy more time. You cannot will more time. You cannot even strong-arm more time. You and the wino on the street have exactly the same amount of hours in ever day. The only difference is in how you choose to use that time. However, here is a sobering thoughtâ?"you and the greatest doctor on the earth also have the same number of hours in each day. He has used his brilliantly. How have you used yours?

Death is our other greatest equalizer. No matter who you are, where you are from, who you know, or how much money you have, one day you, too, will be laid out and leading that procession. The question is, how long will your procession be?

As I watched this personâ??s procession, it became clear how this person had chosen to use those 24-hours a day that God had granted. Well. Very, very well indeed. The cars just kept coming and kept coming, rounding that bend and lining up until there was a mile of them, and they were still coming.

For one moment that day I stopped on my harried trek through life to really consider where Iâ??m going on this road we call life, what it all means, and whether or not Iâ??m head in the direction that I want to end up. Truth is, it was well worth the stop.

Copyright, Staci Stallings, 2003

Need more inspiration? Sign up for the monthly newsletter by Staci Stallings, the author of this article. Insights, quotes, inspiration and even a free novel by Staci sent two chapters at a time! To sign up, send a blank email to: newsletter@stacistallings.com You'll feel better for the experience!

---

Five Principals for Prosperity

Many years ago, forty to be exact, I started my... Read More

10 Universal Principles of Success

Success is not something that only a chosen few can... Read More

How My Friend Bob Went From Being A Failure To A Winner By Taking Intelligent Action

Let me tell you story about a friend of mine... Read More

Discover Your Path to Success - Part 3

If you have read this far, we both know you... Read More

Learning How To Fall: You Have To Learn To Fall Before You Can Ride With Confidence!

About a month ago, I was hit by a car... Read More

Measuring Success

As I have worked with people over the years I... Read More

Perseverance - How To Quit Quitting

The Definition Of PerseveranceFrom a dictionary: "Persisting in or remaining... Read More

Personal Excellence: Whats Your Motivation? (Part 3 of 3)

After 13 years of being married to the same woman... Read More

Unlock Your Potential Through Self-Awareness

Signs of DiscontentYou don't need a degree in psychology to... Read More

The Reasons Why We Fear Success

In the book, The SHOCKwealth System?, it is discussed that... Read More

Mind is the Forerunner of All States

Our lives and the circumstances we live in are largely... Read More

People Are Who They Want To Be

Choice isn't always a matter of being able to choose... Read More

Top 6 Business Success Strategies

"The principal purpose of business is to create a customer."... Read More

Dare to Dream Again

Do you remember when you were a child and no... Read More

Liberating Success Lessons from Singing - If It Is Rubbish, It Is Rubbish; If It Is Not, It is Not

Reggie Yates, a pop song presenter, was singing on 7th... Read More

Scientific Discovery Reveals How You Can Live Better Forever

If you are not experiencing perfect, harmonious, pressure-free life experiences... Read More

15 Success Secrets Of The Strongest Men In The World

The 2004 final of the World's Strongest Man METRx Championship... Read More

Preparing For Success

Everyone wants to be successful. Everyone wants to have more,... Read More

Discover Your Path to Success - Part 2

Time taken for self-analysis is so important in developing your... Read More

The True Key to Prosperity

To have a high probability of becoming prosperous, you have... Read More

How to Always Get Whatever You Want

Do You Know You Have the Power to Harness Huge,... Read More

The Secret Weapons of Success

There are two things that will determine your success or... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Progressive Goal Party

Hold a "progressive" goal party If you have a group... Read More

Raise Your Bar: The Power of Yes

Every one of us lives with a ceiling, a belief... Read More

7 Tips for Success

In this article we mention 7 tips for your success.... Read More

Perseverance Lead To Walt Disneys Greatest Success!

When you are in business every person you hire gets... Read More

The #1 Secret of Success

Today I am going to tell you the #1 secret... Read More

Effective Strategies for Stopping Procrastination

You will have the greatest success if you read the... Read More

The Human Instincts

The gambling instinct is in every man or woman. All... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Create A Nurturing Environment

Create an environment that is so inspiring and nurturing that... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Have A Theraputic Meltdown

Have a therapeutic meltdown It's crunch time: you're two days... Read More

Believing in a Better Lifestyle

How many of you have ever thought about the link... Read More

The 8th Habit Covey Forgot - The Making of an Expert!

I could labor the idea but then that would only... Read More