It only takes five minutes to let someone know you’re thinking about them. Let’s be honest, it really only takes about thirty seconds….and that’s being very generous. I wrote these two sentences in under 10 seconds. While I understand we can’t text or call every person in our lives every day, we do have to make time for those we hold closest to our hearts. That’s hard for me to say because I hold so many whom I don’t see, or live far away, very close to my heart. People come into our lives for a reason, maybe for a season. We don’t know how long the good Lord is going to keep these people in our lives. I believe there is something to be learned, a lesson that each encounter teaches us. There may be someone with whom you strike up a conversation at the grocery store, and then never see again. There’s a reason for that conversation. It could be as simple as needing a personal connection for those few minutes. Or it could be that the person with whom you just gave five minutes of your time has felt alone for months and on the verge of believing they had no value in this life anymore, but your kindness in conversation impacted them in a way they needed so desperately. A simple smile at a stranger has been known to do wonders. Behind the eyes of a stranger may lie a story of tremendous pain and struggle. That’s just it…..we don’t know what others experience until they share it with us. Even then, we often don’t reach the depths of one’s vulnerability. So many feel marginalized, or perhaps they fear abandonment, or maybe they have been let down over and over. If you’re thinking about someone, reach out at the moment you’re thinking about them. Simply say I’m thinking about you. Seems like we make it so complicated…..as if we need to create a novel in order to share a quick hello. I don’t know about you, but for me, a text that says I’ve been thinking about you means the world to me. I smile immediately when I learn that I’m on someone’s mind. It’s so easy to feel forgotten in today’s world; to feel like an afterthought. Life is busy, and overwhelming and stressful, and we so easliy lose sight of those personal connections we are trying to build. Yet, building something only occurs with each individual piece falling into place. How can we possibly expect a relationship to be built without telling the other person that they are on our mind, or what we’re feeling? And I’m not just speaking about romantic relationships…..this goes for any kind of relationship. We must be willing to share and give of ourselves if we want to receive the blessing of authenticity…..of extraordinary. I read a passage from a message the Pope delivered recently. It stated that we should “have the sense to say I need you. Have the ability to say I love you. Have the courage to say I’m sorry. Have the maturity to say I’ve made mistakes. Never give up on the people that love you. Being happy isn’t having a perfect life.” These words resonate with me. Life isn’t perfect…..or is it that a perfect life is living in a healthy state of discomfort. It’s recognizing that not every action has been one we are proud of. It’s admitting that we make mistakes and knowing those mistakes don’t define us. Yet, it’s also learning from those mistakes and building something even more beautiful than we’ve ever imagined. It’s waking up each day and knowing it’s a new day, a gift. It’s allowing yourself to be happy……fully happy…..knowing that you need to be all in for that to happen. To me, all in means giving of oneself fully. Showing up in the hardest moments and living in discomfort. It’s creating certainty out of uncertainty. It’s having intentions with conviction and silencing the what-ifs that occupy your headspace. Far too often, we become consumed with the what-if scenarios. At some point, isn’t life simply too short and too valuable to miss out, or worse, lose something beautiful because we are choosing to focus on the what-if, or the I’m not sure? Carpe Diem! Take that five minutes. Take that thirty seconds. Flirt with your wife, husband, girlfriend, or boyfriend. Check-in with your friends and your family. Respond with depth when someone shares their most intimate vulnerabilities and insecurities. How lucky to be on the receiving end of someone who cares about you enough and trusts you enough to hold their heart and share their most delicate feelings. Make sure they know you’re thinking of them. It only takes five minutes.