Message In A Bottle

Coca Cola CEO Brian Dyson once delivered a commencement address. He wanted to "reach someone" with his remarks. Fast-forward: It's unlikely in our lifetime we've felt the tumult and uncertainty of time-present. As of this morning some of the future may appear to be reshaped, like it or not. For all our irksome daily travails, somehow it seemed appropriate for this week's column to cast back to Dyson's commencement address in the interest of moving forward.

Imagine your life as a game whereby you're juggling five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit ... and you're keeping them all in the air. You'll come to understand that "work" is a rubber ball. Drop it and it will bounce back.

But the other four balls -- family, health, friends, and spirit -- are made of glass. If you drop one it will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, damaged or even shattered ... it will never be the same.

So it is you must understand and strive for balance in your life. How?

• Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them since without them life has less meaning.
• Don't let life slip through your fingers by living in the past or in the future. By living one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.
• Don't give up when you still have a lot to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
• Don't be afraid to admit you're less than perfect. This fragile thread binds us together.
• Don't be afraid to engage risks; it's by taking chances that we learn to be braver.
• Don't shut love out of your life under the premise "It's impossible to find the time."
• Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.
• Don't race through your days so fast that you can't remember where you've been or where you're going.
• Don't forget a person's greatest emotional need is to be appreciated.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift: that's why we call it "the present."