Lately, I've been very melancholy and emotional. My youngest child is preparing to move far away and it's left me thinking of all of the time I wasted that I can never get back.

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Not just with my youngest son, but with my other children as well. I think of lost time with my friends, siblings, and parents. I especially think of the time I wasted with myself that I can never get back.

After turning 56, I've had an overwhelming feeling that I'm running out of time. o other age bothered me as much as the age I am now. I can't shake the feeling that I could have used my time better.

I could have played with my kids more, taken them on more vacations, and shared cool things with them. Now that they are grown and gone, I realize how I could have, and should have done better with the short time we shared.

If you asked them, they would probably say that we had the best times, and we did. But, I wish, now, we would have had more of those times. I would have made more time.

Even with myself, now that I'm older, I feel like I wasted a lot of my youth. My anxiety kept me focused on fear, not living. As an adult, I would, and still do consume myself in my work. Morning turns into evening and day into night so fast, it's made my head numb.

I saw this poem on Facebook and it made me realize that dwelling on the loss of past time, only keeps me from living for today. I should be focusing on making the days I have left, the best days so far. Make every moment count. Find my joy and live for today.

I wanted to share this poem with you because it's helped me so much in planning my future. No matter where you are in life's journey, I know it will help you, too.

A MUST-READ.

Barely the Day Started poem

Written by Caitriona Loughrey 

<div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto">Barely the day started and... it's already six in the evening.</div><div dir="auto">Barely arrived on Monday and it's already Friday.</div><div dir="auto">... and the month is already over.</div><div dir="auto">... and the year is almost over.</div><div dir="auto">... and already 40, 50, or 60 years of our lives have passed.</div><div dir="auto">... and we realize that we lost our parents, and friends.</div><div dir="auto">and we realize it's too late to go back...</div><div dir="auto">So... Let's try, despite everything, to enjoy the remaining time...</div><div dir="auto">Let's keep looking for activities that we like...</div><div dir="auto">Let's put some color in our grey...</div><div dir="auto">Let's smile at the little things in life that put balm in our hearts.</div><div dir="auto">And despite everything, we must continue to enjoy the serenity with the time we have left. Let's try to eliminate the afters...</div><div dir="auto">I'm doing it after...</div><div dir="auto">I'll say after...</div><div dir="auto">I'll think about it after...</div><div dir="auto">We leave everything for later like ′′ after ′′ is ours.</div><div dir="auto">Because what we don't understand is that:</div><div dir="auto">Afterward, the coffee gets cold...</div><div dir="auto">afterward, priorities change...</div><div dir="auto">Afterward, the charm is broken...</div><div dir="auto">afterward, health passes...</div><div dir="auto">Afterward, the kids grow up...</div><div dir="auto">Afterward, parents get old...</div><div dir="auto">Afterward, promises are forgotten...</div><div dir="auto">afterward, the day becomes the night...</div><div dir="auto">afterward, life ends...</div><div dir="auto">And then it's often too late...</div><div dir="auto">So... Let's leave nothing for later...</div><div dir="auto">Because still waiting to see you later, we can lose the best moments,</div><div dir="auto">the best experiences,</div><div dir="auto">best friends,</div><div dir="auto">the best family...</div><div dir="auto">The day is today... The moment is now...</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto">We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone what needs to be done right away.</div></div>
Leave nothing to later, the moment is now. Enjoy.

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Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

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