Worldly Wisdom

I have a problem. Okay, some people would say I have a lot of problems, but there is one problem in particular that has plagued me my whole life. I allow myself to be “too busy”, and it’s not a good thing!

Actually, I think it’s good to work hard and be productive. But it’s also important to lead a balanced life putting faith, family, and friends first, and work second. But even when it comes to faith, family, and friends, it’s easy for me to get overloaded. So with the holidays coming up, arguably the busiest time of year for everyone, I have decided to try to slow my life down a little and enjoy myself more.

As I write that decision down and think about it, I find myself thinking about my friend Pao Chi Chen. She was 88  years old when I ran her over with my truck. Somehow she survived and we became very close friends. She lived to be 95 years old, and her life was incredibly hard at times, but she also became a famous artist who traveled the world and spoke four languages. Over the years, she amassed an amazing amount of life experience as well as worldly wisdom and yet one of her main passions was gardening. She spoke of several beautiful garden exhibits in China that she loved to visit as a little girl. She said she enjoyed the beauty of a garden and that it helped her to “slow down”. I will never forget when she told me that, because she was looking straight into my eyes at the time, trying to impart some wisdom to this middle-aged businessman with his head up his butt.

Pao Chi Chen passed away at 95, but I will never forget her or her wonderful words of wisdom. Earlier this morning, I was reading and came across a story about a beautiful garden in Peking, China. Instantly I thought about Pao Chi Chen and wondered if this was one of the gardens she visited as a child. The book described the garden in great detail. It was enclosed by a high wall. In the center on a stone wall, surrounded by twining red and white flowers, was a brass plate almost two feet long. The words on the brass plate were in Mandarin Chinese.

When translated into English: 

Enjoy Yourself

It's Later Than You Think!