• Raising Boys

  • In The Kitchen

  • Family Travels

Don’t Wait Your Life Away #Marriage

You’d love to spend more time alone with your spouse … once the kids are grown.

One day you’ll take a family trip … after you paid off your house.

You love to have the time to take up cooking/dancing/writing … after you’re retired.

Right now, you just don’t have the time and money to live your life the way you’d like, or really enjoy your marriage and family. You need to get a lot of things done first.

What if you never get everything done? In order to live your life to the fullest and really enjoy life today, you have to actually live your life to the fullest and enjoy life today, and not keep waiting until one day, when everything else is done, circumstances are just right, and there are no other demands on you. Circumstances are never just right, and there will always be something else you have to do.

My father always said, “Life is like at match. It’s lit when your life begins, and it burns away so quickly. You look back, and it feels like your whole life passed in a moment.”

life is like a match

It’s nice to look forward to things, but if all you are doing is looking forward to the future, and not enjoying today, your “I’ll do it when…” will eventually become “I should have done it before I got married, before I had kids, before I had to pay a mortgage, before we had health problems.”

Do you really want a life filled with regrets? To wish you had spent more time with your spouse while they were still here, or more time with your children before they grew up and left, or enjoying things you loved to do while you were still physically able to do them?

Live Your Life To The Fullest

♥ Don’t put off going on a wonderful trip until you get married. What if your spouse hates to travel?

♥ Don’t put off saving money until you have children and really need to save for their future. Do you know how hard it is to save money when you actually have children?

♥ If you want to learn to cook or dance, sign up for classes today. You’ll never find the time, so just make the time.

♥ Do not put off saving money until you are close to retirement. You won’t feel motivated at 55 or 60 to work overtime to put something away, but at 25 and 35 you can do it.

♥ Do not wait to take a romantic trip with your spouse until after the children are up and out. Do you know how many couples regret that? You really don’t know how much time you have together in this world. You aren’t getting healthier as you get older.

It’s important to plan ahead, but it’s also important to live your life to the fullest now. If you really want to go to Paris, go this year. If you want to live comfortably at 80, put 10% of your money aside now. If you want to enjoy time with your husband, have weekly dates, no matter how busy you are. Do you know how inspiring it is for children to see their parents do things, and not just while life away, wishing for things or saying “one day”? Don’t wait your life away.

snow tubing penelope guzman

Just be. Here. Now. Enjoy every minute you can. You are lucky to be here. Live your life to the fullest with your husband, and enjoy every minute you are lucky enough to have to together.

Here are the Happy Marriage meme rules:

1. You can not be mean to your spouse, speak harshly to or criticize your spouse, neglect your spouse, roll your eyes at your spouse, or in any way interact negatively with your spouse, from sun up ’til sun down.
2. You must greet your spouse sweetly, with a smile and kisses hello and goodbye, and ask about his or her day. You must listen to their answer before interrupting or talking about yourself.
3. Don’t badmouth your spouse today, to anyone, at any time, for any reason.




  • This series is hard for me because I do have a lot of regrets and so does he. I’m not sure we could have changed the outcome anyhow, and for my own sanity and peace, I need to keep thinking that way.

  • Kelly

    I think it’s so easy to look to a future moment all the time, but you’re right, you should be living your life and savoring each moment. We can only live for today, no one is guaranteed a tomorrow.

  • Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy

    You always have such great advice and make me think. I’ve said plenty of times, “when the kids are older”, but I’ve got to live in the now rather than in anticipation of the future.

  • monique

    Your father sounds like a good, smart man.

  • Shop with Me Mama (Kim)

    I always enjoy reading your inspirational posts!!! Muah 🙂

  • Mary

    This is so inspiring! Unfortunately I have to go to Walmart today, but as soon as that is over….

  • Denise

    New follower here. I saw you mentioned on another blog I follow and stopped by. I like the way you write and what you write about. I hope you will take a moment to stop by my blog and check out my kind of fashion (hair jewelry).

  • Anne - Mommy Has to Work

    I love reading your marriage tips, thanks!

  • Blond Duck

    I guess this applies to me and having kids. I keep saying when we have enough money…when we’ve traveled…when I’ve published a book….

  • Megan

    You hit the nail on the head with this one. My grandfather had so many plans for my grandmother and him when he retired. He was buried the day he was to put in for retirement.

  • 1stopmom

    What a great reminder Penelope! I have to admit I am one of those people that has a tendancy to *wait*. The reasons you give not to really have me thinking 🙂

  • Great post as always Penelope. My husband and I have lived life to the fullest and never wait. You just never know. I think it is important to do something if you have it in your mind, just do it we always say!

  • Heather

    I love the quote I heard on The Big C the other night. “Don’t delay the happy.”