Far too many hours of my life are spent at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. Enough so that we are on intimate terms, you might say. So perhaps they will not mind my expounding a bit on one of their catchphrases.

On a recent trip there I noticed what appeared to be a newly adopted slogan. I didn’t read the fine print but three words in bold letters kept resonating with me.

Today I will.

A fairly, open-ended, incomplete phrase, isn’t it? Obviously requires further clarification such as that detailed in the postings at UVA. So I decided to write my own version of what those words say to me. I hope you will do the same.

Today I will … live this day only. I cannot change the past nor can I predict or even control what the coming years may bring. I will live today and hope that what I do will set the tone for a fruitful future.

Today I will … live without worry. We all know, of course, that is not really possible. Admittedly I was once the Queen of Worriers. But these past few years have taught me that worrying solves nothing, doesn’t alter one moment.

While age may dim our eyesight, it gives us the ability to see the difference between big and little problems, putting into perspective what is really important. Perhaps the best description is from another well known phrase. Don’t sweat the small stuff—and almost everything is small stuff.

Today I will … be fearless. I recently told our little grandson that if I could make one wish for him, it would be that he was fearless. Not reckless, I strongly emphasized to him, but fearless. Brave. Courageous. Bold. Unafraid. Valiant

Today I will … live spontaneously. I will laugh too loudly, cry too easily, wear my favorite color red at an inappropriate time. I will eat pie for breakfast. Sometime ago I read a passage about living life in the present and the author made the somewhat irreverent statement that she always felt badly for the women who skipped dessert the night before the Titantic sank.

Today I will … help another person. Whether it is monetarily, prayerfully, physically or emotionally, I will support someone in need. I will remind myself that life isn’t all about me.

Today I will … be kind and only kind to others. I will refrain from criticism, either mentally or orally. I will live by yet another quote, author unknown, which holds so much truth. “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always ….”

Today I will … be grateful. Life hasn’t always been the way I envisioned. Like so many others, I have suffered the loss of loved ones. I have health issues—who doesn’t at our age? But I also have much for which I am grateful. From the words of a beautiful hymn … I have food on my table, I have shoes on my feet. I need no material things. That is not the case with much of the world.

Today I will … what an exciting thought. The possibilities are endless.