Recently, I took my kids to see Puss In Boots: The Last Wish.
Without giving too much away, Puss has used up 8 of his 9 lives. Forced to come to terms with his own mortality as Death incarnate is literally (not figuratively) chasing him, Puss breaks down toward at one point in the film and tells his companion, Kitty Softpaws, that he is terrified to live knowing that someday (perhaps very soon) he will die.
Kitty, in a moment of tenderness replies, “When you only have one life, that’s what makes it special.”
I thought that was a great reminder of how each day we have is special.
Sometimes we think we have to do something big and spectacular to “make the most” of our one life, but the truth is the small, simple things like going to the movies on a rainy day, sharing a cup of coffee on the couch with someone you love, or going on a quiet walk to enjoy the landscape of creation are all ways to make the day that you’ve been given special.
Special doesn’t have to be spectacular. It can be small and simple. What matters is the joy it brings to you and to others.
Kinda heavy for a kids movie, I know, but I think we can all find important truths in some of the most unlikeliest of places.
Jeff McClung 