These Are the Best Days of Your Life

“These are the best days of your life,” my professor said to the class halfway through my second-last university semester. She’d just given us more details about our latest writing assignment. Stress almost hummed off most of the students in the room.

Glancing surreptitiously over my shoulder, I could tell most of the students didn’t believe her statement, even as she went on to elaborate. I knew she was addressing her comment to the twenty-somethings in the room, the kids fresh out of high school trying to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives, but I found that comment a bit ironic. She also spoke to me, a thirty-something mom with three girls, and a few other mature students in the room—another mom of teenagers and two women who could have been grandmas.

As I looked at myself and the other three women, I thought, “Yes, these are the best days of our lives.” Those words apply to all of us, at every stage of life.

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Looking Back

There have been times in my life when I haven’t believed that, when I’ve wanted to rush ahead to the next thing. As a high school student, I couldn’t wait to get to university. In university, I couldn’t wait to finish each semester and start working for the summer, because then I’d have more time to write. And yet a few months into my summer job, I’d be bored and looking forward to the flexibility of classes.

When I was babysitting during my teens, I couldn’t wait to get married and have my own kids. And sometimes I find myself looking forward to the time when one of my daughters will be a certain age and life will suddenly get easier…

Now I find myself nodding along with Trace Adkins‘ song “You’re Going to Miss This”:

Time Moves Forward

There’s a story in William Bennett’s Book of Virtues about a young boy who finds a ball of string that represents his life. He can pull the string out to hasten time, but he can’t put the string back in. One day at school, when class is dragging, he pulls a tiny bit of the string and suddenly school is done.

Later, when he’s looking forward to Christmas, he pulls more of the string and suddenly he’s opening his presents. As time goes on, he begins to pull bigger portions of the string… hurry up to the wedding, to the job promotion, to this event or that. Suddenly, he’s an old man who can’t remember most of his life because he rushed through it. He wishes he’d never discovered that ball of string.

These Are the Best Days of Your Life

Over the last year, a lot of things that we’ve anticipated have happened for our family. I finished my degree. I’m homeschooling Sunshine for Grade 1. Jade is at a very cute age of needing hugs and cuddles but being able to play by herself and feed herself (and maybe potty train soon). Yet it seems there is always something else to look forward to… and so as the new year begins, I want to remind myself that these are the best days of your life and to appreciate all the moments, rather than looking forward to the next.

This January, I want to speak those words to you, my readers, as well. Maybe this is a hard year, or maybe it’s a good year. Maybe you’re moving or facing new jobs like we are. Maybe you’re in school, as I was. Wherever you are, I challenge you to find the good in your days. These are the best days of your life.