Kay:
Hey, there Questers, it’s Fabulous Friday and this episode feels kind of momentous because it’s episode 365 which means now you could officially if you wanted to start from the beginning of Mentorship Quest have an entire year of daily fun quest like mentorship for you to engage in, which is just such an honor for us. We have a quote for you today from Sarah Louise Delaney. She says, “Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet.”
Shi:
If you are like us, you did not know who Sarah Louise Delaney is, let us just fill you in a little bit. She’s an American educator and a civil rights pioneer, who was the subject along with her younger sister, Elizabeth “Bessie” Delaney of the New York Times bestselling oral history biography “Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years” by journalist Amy Hill Hearth. So, a historical figure, a civil rights pioneer, and a woman who probably didn’t have the sweetest life which makes this quote even more poignant.
Kay:
Well, life is short is such a great small three words that many of us know and have heard and it’s easy to breeze over. I’m glad that she brings it up here because many of us have a tendency to think and I know I’ve had the tendency to think that (a) youth will last forever and that (b) that 20 years is a long time. It turns out,, as I’m edging toward 30 here in my life, that youth does not last forever, and 20 years is actually not really that long.
Shi:
Most of us start to gain that perspective as we get older, realizing that life is short, and you start to understand the meaning of this phrase more and more. I also sometimes get frustrated with the saying, because especially when you are younger, when you’re 19 or you’re 20, and someone says life is short and you’re staring down the barrel of another 40 or 50 years in a career or doing something it’s like that doesn’t seem like a short amount of time, or it might seem like, well, gosh, I’m 23 and I haven’t done anything yet, but life is short. It’s practically already over at this point so I don’t have anything left to contribute or do. So, I know for many years I would say life is long. It is a long time. You have a long time to do things with and to create something especially if you consistently apply yourself towards something, you have a long time to see that come to fruition. As you age, you start to see that life is short as certainly as you put it into a historical or evolutionary context, it’s a fricking blip. It is like that and then it is over. Sarah here, the piece that I like so much about this quote is the second part, because it’s reminding you that life may be short or it may be long, but ultimately the responsibility of your enjoyment of that life is up to you.
Kay:
I feel like life is short is the OG live in the moment.
Shi:
Yeah. You know.
Kay:
It’s like be here now. I believe that the original quote for that one is, “Life is short so live every moment like it’s your last.” So, in this case, she’s saying it’s up to you to make it sweet. She doesn’t say it’s up to you to make it fulfilling, which it is or that it’s up to you to make it funny, it’s up to you to make it anything. She says it’s up to you to make it sweet. Which means what does that mean to you? For me, making something sweet means creating more peaceful moments, which means seeing more sunsets. It means having more first sips of coffee in environments that delight me. Having a sweet life in my opinion is different than maybe having a successful life. So, when she’s saying it’s up to you to make it sweet, I challenge you to ask yourself, what does sweet mean to you? Because the definition and the word here it’s really intentional.
Shi:
It is. So, to remind you of what Sarah Luis Delaney tells us, “Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet.”
Kay:
All right. Again, we’ve got a Short and Sweet Fri-Yay Quest. Life is short and sometimes you just need a little sweet treat. So, today we want you to take some time, either today or over the weekend to get out there and get a little sugar in your hand. Allow yourself a little indulgence in something sweet – be it a sugar cookie, maybe a salon or spa trip, or a simple sleep-in and snuggle session with your loved one. We want you to get out there, get short and sweet this weekend. Are you ready? You know the words!
Kay & Shi:
Let’s quest!
Shi:
Treat yourself!