Zest for Life
- DFDarwoodWrites
- May 7
- 4 min read
Live the life you can look back on with a smile.
Quick Story
I met a guy in college whose only goal was to make memories. That was new to me. Every date we went on was something I’d never done before. To be fair, I hadn’t done much—I was only 21. But we made so many memories, it stuck with me for the rest of my life.
The places we explored weren’t expensive. They were just fun. We made memories—joyful, carefree moments my young mind had never even imagined. It molded how I’ve lived ever since. And it was that kind of zest for life that molded the rest of my life.
I live surrounded by trees today because of a trip we took down a highway just to see the fall foliage. When I laid eyes on that beauty, I longed for it. That moment rooted something deep in me. Through those little excursions, I began to realize that life had so much more to offer.
Fast forward nine years—I met my husband. And over the past 25 years, we’ve carried on that same spirit of adventure. We’ve hiked mountain trails and parasailed while I was pregnant. We took a glass-bottom boat ride over alligator waters and explored old caves. We've done stargazing in the middle of the night, and sat lakeside roasting marsh mellows. and you know what, we’ve met so many wonderful people and created so many unforgettable memories that it’s hard to believe there’s still more to do—and yet, there is.
Now, I get to make memories not just with my husband, but with my oldest child and his family, my younger children, my siblings, my cousins, and even close friends.
There’s literally no time to waste. Life is always waiting for us to say yes.
Science we know so far...
"Being inclined to experience positive emotions like enthusiasm and joy, and being receptive to new ideas and experiences - openness - is linked to lower levels of cognitive decline as you mature, new research published in Psychology and Aging has found."
Activity/Journal
What excites you? Is there something truly exciting that you’d like to do? What would it take for you to do that exciting thing? If you’re nervous about it, switch your mind to say ‘I’m excited about this’ instead of ‘I’m nervous about this’. Repeat it until you've done the thing,
Create a list of items to do in order to tap into your zest for life.
Quotes and Interpretations
When we feel a hunger for life, the way we feel a hunger for food, that is a zest for life.
You have the strength and the smarts to get as much as you can out of life, even out of your challenges. To live any other way does not serve you.
Zest attracts zest. Live and enjoy and you will attract others who are also living and enjoying.
Every new adventure, goal, or challenge you set in your life, adds to that zest for life.
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our happiness dwells in the zest of creating.
A zest for life gives us life. Without it, we are just waiting for our end.
Design your life around the zest for it. Seek and create new challenges for yourself. Revel in the newness of an adventure. Marvel in music and dances new or old. Make zest your purpose.
By definition, our zest for life translates to having a great enthusiasm and energy between our birth and death. We are not meant to be sedentary and passive. We are designed for zest.
A Song
Zest for Life (Jingle Bells Tune)
Zest for life, Zest for life
Passion all my days
Waking up to a new day
Is another chance to play
Zest for life, Zest for life
Passion all my days
Waking up to a new day
Is another chance to play Hey!
Opening my eyes
And thinking of this day
All my reasons why
To laugh and sing and play
Cook that dish I like
And hatch out my new plan
I might just swim or ride a bike
Or do my favorite dance
Zest for life, Zest for life
Passion all my days
Waking up to a new day
Is another chance to play
Zest for life, Zest for life
Passion all my days
Waking up to a new day
Is another chance to play
When I think of my new day
I’m so happy to be here
On this great Earthly stage
With loved ones far and near
So much that I can do
If I just take that first step
Put on my favorite shoes
And decide where I’ll go next! Oh!
Zest for life, Zest for life
Passion all my days
Waking up to a new day
Is another chance to play
Zest for life, Zest for life
Passion all my days
Waking up to a new day
Is another chance to play
CTA
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