Measure Twice, Live Once. With A Hat On.

Marianne @ Their Words. My Musings. 29 Comments

 

There’s an old saying you’ve probably heard before:  measure twice, cut once.  It’s oft used by carpenters, glass cutters, and folks in the construction or manufacturing businesses.  I’ve even heard it at Home Depot by a sales clerk trying to help a customer make plans for a DIY project.  It’s a reminder there’s only one chance to get it right.  Otherwise it could cost time, materials, and money.

By extrapolation, I think the old proverb has a fit for life in general too …

Measure twice, live once.

The length of our lives is measured by two dates.  We had zip, zero, zilch control over the first date.  It just is.  Our second date, well we certainly have some influence over it, but not a whole lot of control over it.  Sure we can try to live healthy lives and do things that are believed to extend our lifespans.  But as many of us know all too well with regards to loved ones in our lives, the second date can arrive without warning.  It just happens.

So what are we left with then?

The dash.

That’s right.  That little line that basically replaces the word ‘to’ when put in between two different numbers.  That’s all any of has in between the beginning and end of our lives.  A dash.  So …

What are you going to do with your dash?
How will others describe your dash after the second date arrives?
Regardless of its figurative length, how thick and full is your dash?
Is it colourful or simply a pale shade of grey?
Is your punctuation mark just dividing your life into intervals or are you using it to accentuate and give emphasis to the life you are living?

Don’t waste your dash.  Don’t waste a perfectly good piece of God’s materials.  Don’t underestimate the dash between the measurements of your life.  Live it well.  Live it fully.  Live it kindly.  Heck, it could end up being a lot longer than you’d ever imagine it could be.  Might as well have some fun with it too.  So live it with a hat on.  A multi-coloured one if you really want to be adventurous.  Hats can save lives remember?  So by extension then, hats extend the dash.

 

 

In response to today’s Daily Prompt:  Underestimate

Image source:   Smabs Sputzer user on flickr.com, CC2.0 Generic

Listen to music.  It could save your soul.  Be kind.  It could save someone’s world.  Wear a hat.  It could save your life.

 

29 thoughts on “Measure Twice, Live Once. With A Hat On.”

  3. Thank you for posting this lovely song.
    Let me quote this poem of a poet whose name I don’t know.This is what he said:
    The clock of life is wound but once.
    And no man has the power
    To tell just where the hands will stop
    At late or early hour.
    To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed:
    To lose one’s health is more:
    To lose one’s soul is such a loss
    As no man can restore.
    The present only is our own.
    Live, love, toil with a will.
    Place no faith in”tomorrow”. for
    The clock may then be still.

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  5. Great post, great reminder of a simple truth.
    I’m also going to do a little blatant self-promotion here since I met you through my “other” blog — the one I haven’t been able to spend as much time on lately as I’d like to — but my “main” blog is http://myworldwithwords.com. I’ve been able to keep up with that one!

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  7. Dear Mairanne, Thank you for this post, truely beautiful. The song and singer -wow loved it really. Oh music for tge soul. The DASH so important to live in the present and do and live and challenge and listen to beautiful music..you made my day ..great great post. Loved it

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    • You are very welcome Bella. I am pleased to know you liked the post and the song. If you liked this tune you might want to search out some more of Maia Sharp’s stuff. I’ve heard a few now thanks to SiriusXM and love them all.
      Thanks for your visit and the lovely note. Wishing you a kindness-filled kinda day … Marianne

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      • Thanks also for being willing to share publicly in your recent journey with cancer. While it is sometimes difficult to share such personal things, often admitting ‘outloud’ so to speak can be very therapeutic. I know writing always has been for me and I personally feel that they more we share in each other’s stories, the better off we will all be! Hats off to you.

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    • Leave it to Capital Q to go and get grammatically technical on me. Yes, I am trying to make my en dash an em dash as a matter of fact. Would you like me to attempt to _ that point? Or perhaps I should be a little bold and and try to emphasize it to you in another fashion? With the colourful hat on of course to go with all the pretty colours of my flower of the wall. I’ll blend in better that way I think. 🙂

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