Use it up!

I'm a quote-collector.  I've been doing it for years.  Currently, I have on my external hard drive five years' worth of quotes.

I love quotes because often different minds will put something in such a way that it resonates with me. "Yes," I will muse, "that is exactly what I think!" 

It feels good to be in the same company as brilliant minds.  No one likes thinking they are the only one who feels a certain way. There's a certain validation in finding another soul in agreement with you.

Erma Bombeck via Google images

One of my heroes is Erma Bombeck.  She combines two of my favorite things in one person - my love of humor and my respect for homemakers and mothers.  I can read one of her books and chuckle the whole time while nodding my head and thinking, "I can so relate."

Among many of her gems is my favorite:

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.

Erma Bombeck

So often, I hear older people say, "Let the young people do it.  I've done my share."  No, no, no!  I don't read about retirement anywhere in the bible.  Moses was 80 when he and the people of  Israel started their journey out of the promised land. Goodness, Sarah was 90 when she had Isaac!  (I do realize that was by divine intervention, but still!)

Did you know that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote her famous Little House books beginning at age 64 and finishing at 76? (She wrote them out in longhand, too!) Roget retired as a scientist at 70 and began a second career compiling the thesaurus that we all use today. He worked on all the subsequent editions until age 90. Ghandi was 61 when he walked his famous 200 mile Salt March. Ray Kroc began the McDonald's franchises at age 52 and worked until his death at 82. Grandma Moses was a famous painter who didn't pick up a paint brush until 76.  She started painting because her hands became arthritic and she couldn't embroider anymore.  She couldn't stand to sit around and do nothing!

Sometimes our bodies give us limitations but there is always something we can do. We may have to do it at a slower pace but we can still accomplish goals.

What a shame, at the end of our lives, to find out we had untapped talent and never even tried to use it.

No, I want to be like Erma!

This post was written in response to Writer's Workshop prompt 2.) Share a quote you love.  If you'd like to read other responses, or link up, visit Kat's blog, Mama's Losin' It.