In the last three weeks, I have started three blog posts and abandoned them all.

In fact, I have had several false-starts with blogging in the last year or so. I can't quite put my finger on why. I can't figure out why I am hesitating to say what's on my mind but I need to write something today because writing makes me feel better.

This has not been my favorite week. On Tuesday, someone I've known more than half my life died unexpectedly (in all transparency, she was battling cancer but she was in treatment so the news of her passing was shocking).

The love of her life happens to be someone that is very, very, very dear to me so I am sad for so many reasons.

The news this week sucks. Two mass shootings in less than 24 hours killing and injuring multiple people at both. This on the heels of another at a food festival. I saw a stat that we've had more mass shootings than days in the year so far in 2019.

How does this tie together?

We never know when our time is up. You could leave home tomorrow and not return. We don't get to choose when we go but we do get to choose how we live right now.

I saw another friend post about the "dash" and it's importance. The content of the post focused on the dash that represents your life between birth and death. That post came along at the perfect time for me.

So I ask, what makes up your dash?

Think about it.

What makes up your dash? It's not necessarily about what others think about you. To me, it's about what you would want to remember about your life.

My dash will represent the great adventure of life with Jason and the boys.

As a youngster, I never dreamt of a husband and kids. Other girls had big dreams about weddings and raising a ton of kids. I wanted to work. I wanted to make enough money to have nice clothes, a nice car and maybe a nice apartment. I mean, why buy a house???

Then, along came Jason. He is the love of my life. He is the love of my lifetime. I have yet to have a day in 17+ years together when I couldn't wait to talk to him - even if it had only been a few minutes - and tell him all the silly things.

Then, we had the boys. Again, I never dreamt of being a mom. I was steadfast for about 25 years or so that I would NOT be having children.

Now, I have two beautiful boys. They are smart and funny and mostly well-behaved so far and I literally miss them when we are apart. I cannot wait to watch them continue to grow into young men and then adults.

I feel pretty good so far about what makes up the dash between October 23, 1976 and the unknown date of my passing. I have had some great experiences and adventures. I still have a lot of things I'd like to do and accomplish but at this moment, I am proud of where I am.

So, as we head in to a new week, think about your dash and your priorities. Hug your family. Text a friend and tell them you love them. Send a thank you note to someone. Buy a coffee for a stranger.

See you on the roads! Kristy