Have you ever stopped to really appreciate yourself, your life, and everything around you?

I thought I had been appreciative, that is until I had a recent health scare that made me realise that there was still so much in life that I took for granted – things that I just accepted as a normal part of my day, without stopping to truly appreciate how amazing my life really is.

Lying in bed at night in the silence of the darkness, with the glimmer of the moon lighting up my home with just enough light to make out what surrounded me, I observed the simple things, like hearing the crickets, and the sound of our children rolling over in their bed via the monitor next to my own. Sounds that had become a normal part of my day and night, but sounds that I realised were not always going to be there; ones that I may not always be here to hear.

There was a sadness that overwhelmed me, a feeling that I was not yet ready to leave this world, that I still had so much to do.

It was then that I realised I was living with regret, a feeling that deep down I knew how to live in the fullness of who I am but thinking there was no rush, that I had plenty of time to do so later.

But why wait – why not just get on with it and live the love that I am now, instead of waiting any longer?

So once again a health scare has caused me to stop and appreciate on a deeper level how amazingly blessed I am in life, with an amazing family, children, partner, and friends. Why is it that it takes the possibility of dying to truly bring me to a stop?

Why is it that we wait until we may lose something that is precious to us to stop and really appreciate it? Why is it we do not make the choice to live each and every moment in absolute appreciation of everything that we are?

I knew all of this, the questions were not new, I had asked myself these before. So why is it I still choose to hold back?

After my few days of pondering, I came to realise that it is not just dying I am afraid of: it is the fact that I have not truly lived all of me, and the sadness was from the regret of holding back and having not lived in and from the absolute glory that I am.

I realised that I can now make the choice to live me in each and every moment, re-connecting to my body and making choices from there, without fear of what others may think or perceive, and no longer shying away from potential jealousy.

When I pass over, no matter when that may be, I want it to be with no regrets, but with the appreciation and love of a true life lived in the fullness of who I am.

A life that has been blessed by so many and so much, with the ongoing love, support and reflections from Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon, a man with the utmost love, patience and understanding; a man without whom I know I would not have these moments in life that allow me to go deeper in my connection to myself, to then be able to continue appreciating how amazing life truly is.

by Nicole Serafin, Woman, wife, mother, hairdresser, Tintenbar, NSW.

Further Reading:
What Is The Science of Appreciation, and How Does It Evolve All of Our Relationships?
Appreciation – A Pathway To Love.
Appreciation, Appreciation, Appreciation….