Saturday, February 11, 2006

Life lessons from milk's expiration date...



I realized a little life lesson the other day when I went to have a bowl of cereal one morning.

I open the fridge, grab the milk and realize the expiration date was Feb. 8th. Usually this is no big deal, but it smelled a bit unappealing, so I tossed it...

I was reminded of the day I bought that very gallon; It was the end of January. I remember thinking "Feb. 8th? That's ages from now!" Yet there I stood 9 or 10 days later, over the sink, pouring the inch of milk that was left down the drain, wondering why I wasted all those days by not drinking the milk.

In life, we look to an event or chore in the future and think "That is ages from now! I have plenty of time to do this or that." Before you know it, that time has come and gone and you can no longer do it.

You'll soon find yourself standing over the kitchen sink of life watching what you could have done go down the drain.

I am sure there is an after-Wednesday-night-Bible-study-devo in there somewhere... feel free to use it. Mention my name though.

31 comments:

lilsip said...

That's right, folks! Go for the gusto! Take the bull by the horns. This is sip, btw.

Great post, Jamison!

Mat Brewster said...

You'll soon find yourself standing over the kitchen sink of life watching what you could have done go down the drain.

Let's just hope the kitchen sink of life doesn't have a garbage disposal. Ouch!

BTW, the Diana map article is now being highlighted by the blogcritic editors. Go here and look under the Culture Focus: Family History section.

That means they liked it Diana. Good job.

Diana said...

Seriously! That's so exciting! I had the worst week! And that just makes me feel so good! Thank you so much for submitting that for me Brew! I was going to go see my mom and little sister tonight, but it's snowing there! I can't go. I feel really good today, though. It's been a long week and I've experienced many emotions.

I really liked that post, Jamison. I know what you mean. I remember when Charlie first asked me to marry him, it seemed like it would be forever before the wedding. And now, it's been 1 1/2 years. Life's funny like that. Big things seem so small in hindsight.

Mat Brewster said...

Wow. Literally a couple of hours after I read this my mom called to tell me a guy from church just died of a heart attack.

He was in his fifties, overweight (but not obese or anything, probably 20 pounds too heavy) he smoked and didn't get much exercise, but was more or less healthy.

Feeling perfectly fine he stayed up late watching TV while his wife went to bed. At 4 she got up to bring him to bed and realized he was cold dead.

Diana said...

Oh my goodness!!!!
That makes me so sad. That poor woman! I'm so sorry, Brew.

bigsip said...

Missed opportunities are something I think we all think about.

Sometimes, though, I think what we thought were opportunities for good really were just paths that lead to culdesacs.

God has a way of placing turnabouts in our paths if we're praying to Him to lead our lives in His way.

Helps us stay on track.

I had several opportunities to do something other than enter the Air Force, but I wound up going that route since nothing else panned out.

In the end, it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

JS said...

If I had to have a fear in life (other than of dolls) it is this fear of missing out on something in life...

As I get older and things happen in my life, I see my chances of going on another week long ski vacation going away, my chances of visiting a country over seas going away, my chances of doing this or that going away...

"Ah, life" -Brew

bigsip said...

Yeah, but there are better things just down the road.

I don't even consider ski trips and Europe and other adventures of the sort to be that appealing anymore.

Ah, life is good!

bigsip said...

Sorry, not to diminish dreams and such. I know how hard it is to see those things go by the wayside for one reason or another.

JS said...

Of course, Disney World in a few years will be nice... and Id like to stay a bit longer in Epcot one day this time. Larissa saw very littel of a very cool place.

They Olympics are cool to watch, but a bit depressing for me... people make a big deal about "the oldest competitor" in such-and-such event.. turns out he will be like 35...

Then, you see gold medalists standing on a throne, who are now LITERALLY world famous... and they are 18 years old...

Im almost 30 and I got in the local paper a few times because of a few sacks on the football field and maybe a fumble recovery...

Of course, I did just become Staff Sergeant in my BattleField 2 game. Now when I apply for commander in a game, all the little runts under me have to listen to ME! So thats famous, in a virtual way...

Mat Brewster said...

I would not measure your stature by your fame. Paris Hilton is known the world over and she's a skanky hoebag.

I would also do a little more traveling than Disney world. Aren't you going to China soon? That's much cooler than some dumb mouse.

See the world, learn something new, take care of you wife.

That's a good life

bigsip said...

Get a load of Brew...

I must agree that fame and accomplishment are really in the eye of the beholder.

No one will remember me for being a great actor or singer or writer in 100 years.

The true legacy we leave is how we care for our loved ones.

If I can raise up a Christian family and be someone who reflects Christ in my life, then I've accomplished far more than any gilt triquet could garner.

That lasts, my friends.

bigsip said...

BTW, I wasn't saying I'm a great actor/singer/writer...just saying that folks like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, goldmedalists, etc. have their "fame" and "honor" here.

We're storing up our treasure in Heaven, though. Way better!

JS said...

prob wont be going to china... more to come...

bigsip said...

"We are Chinese if you please...
We are Chinese if you don't please..."

I know it's "Siamese", but all this China talk got my brain going.

I'm thinking DW looks good for the summer of '08...

Any takers?

We're probably gonna have a load of folks anyway. We could all split a big place and come out great!

JS said...

larissa mentioned wed stay in wilderness lodge and get a big cabin for us all... of course, i dunno how much i like that, crying babies and all...

you know we are in. Make fun all you like Brew, it was the best vacation me and the wife had ever been on!

I thought we'd be going in Aug of 07 though... :(

bigsip said...

OKAY! Aug 07, baby!

We'll start packing...

Hope we can get as good a deal as last time.

Brew, you should've tried Euro-Disney. I've heard it kinda sucks, but at least you'd have the consumer, commercial creds then...

JS said...

...and Brew, ironically, I dont remember seeing the mouse once... nor did I have a desire too. I did, however, see the Sips change a diaper faster than anyone I have seen in any spot with shade...

bigsip said...

We did see "The Mouse", though.

We saw Mickey twice.

The first time, Rachel, Luke, and I were taking a short rest under the shade of the huge "Sorceror's" hat in the Disney Studios park.

All of a sudden, Mickey comes walking up and stops right in front of Luke! Luke loved it! I know it's pretty dumb to grown-ups, but it was magical and exciting to Luke and that made a big difference to me.

The socond time was purely a photo op at Mickey's house in Toon Town. We got a gret shot of Luke kissing Mickey on the nose.

Again, it was just great to see Luke get so excited. I have a new view on Disney World and Xmas, too since having Luke.

Seeing him enjoy things and have fun has really helped me to appreciate the joy of being a child again.

Mat Brewster said...

Brew, you should've tried Euro-Disney.

Let's see I can visit a 1200 year old cathedral on the banks of the riviera or I can go to an amusement park.

Not a tough choice really.

Enjoy Dizgayland all you want. I'll be sitting it out.

JS said...

so be it Brew, you'll be missed!

bigsip said...

Well, at least we'll get to see y'all in a few weeks. Can't wait to see the Brews and everyone!

Gonna be great!

lilsip said...

Here's my take on DW. If we go in August 07 there are two problems for us. 1: A 1-year old baby. Just a little shy of walking age and being able to stand the heat. 2: My parents could not come because of the heat, therefore no babysitting.

I'll do some research on good times to go, but I'm thinking more like fall 07 or Feb-ish 08.

Also, I don't think the Stubbs can come either as Diana won't have graduated yet? Could be wrong there.

Diana said...

I'm getting so exciting now that we're talking about Disney, I can't read straight.

Oh, we're going! That's Diana's graduation present from Charlie! I'll be graduating in May of 2007, so anytime after that would be good. I would love for the Sips (or anyone else for that matter) to come to my graduation, but I know that's not always possible. We might need help moving, though!

I know I'm four years old deep down on the inside, so this might not mean much, but when I saw Lilo and Stitch on my honeymoon, I had TEARS in my eyes I was so excited. Can you imagine what it would have been like if I saw Ariel or Cinderella? Sheesh.

bigsip said...

I could handle as late as October, I guess.

But, Feb? Don't want to wait that long. It does get cold in Orlando, too.

My boss is there right now and she says it's cold.

Oct would probably be nice, though.

JS said...

Dont forget the hurricanes and stuff...

bigsip said...

True...we had good luck in August last time.

That's kind of why I wanted to go then again.

The heat can be opressive, but we beat the heat with breaks and planning last time. Can't we do it again?

JS said...

Maybe we can all pitch in a few bucks to allow some grandparents to come along for a discounted rate...

lilsip said...

I would not bring a child any younger than Luke was when we went last time in August. A 1-year old is much more prone to heat stroke than an 18-month-old. And my parents wouldn't come because of the heat. I'm just really against the August thing personally. My research says it's best to go in early November. They have Xmas decorations up but there are no crowds and the weather is perfect.

bigsip said...

November's good for me.

I know the holiday season times are diferent for differnt folks, but I'm definitely willing to skip a long T-Day for Disney!

lilsip said...

I'm going to start a new thread for this one because I'm lazy and don't want to keep scrolling down the blog.