It is about the journey, not the destination.

I came across this short passage in Reader's Digest by Anna Quindlen - I thought I would share.

"I learned to live many years ago. Something really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had had a choice, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, sometimes seems to be the hardest lesson of all.
I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that this is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get.
I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back, because I believed in it completely and utterly."

"The race isn't always to the swiftest, but to those who keep on running." - Unknown

Seeing the difference.

The other day I found myself blinking away tears because I was hurt. I could not see why I worry so much and care for something so much. I try and push myself so hard to make it good for the other person, only to find out that that person did not try on his/her end. That is when I break down un-wantedly. I then scold myself to tears because I was the foolish one or the only one worrying about things for no reason.

Sometimes I don't know why I can't just sit back and watch life roll by, just like everyone else. And when I feel like I am THE only one helping someone, I question myself if this is all worth it.. Am I  giving myself more stress for things that will not result in anything.. will I be forgotten or even be taken for granted? Then in all quietness and calmness that follows my thoughts, I hear the answers to my confused mind. I remember why I do what I do. What is all this unnecessary stress for? I realize that it is for the kindness of those who bestowed me when I was not expecting it. And when I am in the position of being ABLE to, I had told myself that I will do my part as a thank-you to those kind people who came my way when I needed it.

And then to reassure my heart, my eye drifts onto the magnet quote by John F. Kennedy:

                    "One person can make a difference, and everyone should try."

I realize that even if others can't understand or appreciate why I do the things I do, it doesn't matter, as long as I see THIS difference and I see it bright and clear in the smiles of those I help.