‘If I had my life to live over’, by Belinda Emmett

Thoughts penned by Belinda Emmett after she found  out she was dying from cancer:  
 
I would have gone to bed  when I was sick  instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for a  day…   
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted into a rose before it melted in storage…   
I would have talked less  and listened  more….   

I would have invited  friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained or the sofa faded…   

I would have eaten  popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace…   

I would have taken the  time to listen to my  grandfather ramble about his youth…   
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband…   

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed…   

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass  stains…   

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life…  
I would never have  bought anything just  because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime…