I think sometimes life can take over, it's good just to

Hear the words of Wayne Bridge, once a warrior upon the football fields, who reflected not on goals or victories, but on the essence of living: “I think sometimes life can take over, it’s good just to appreciate one another—have fun together, smile, laugh, shout, scream at each other for being naughty!” In this humble expression lies a treasure of wisdom: that amidst the endless tide of duties and burdens, one must not forget the joy of companionship, the raw music of family and friendship, the sacred messiness of love shared in laughter and even in quarrel.

The meaning is clear, yet profound. When life "takes over," it means that the cares of labor, the weight of responsibility, the endless march of duties, rise like a flood and threaten to drown the spirit. Many become so consumed by survival that they forget to live. Bridge calls us back to balance. He reminds us that to appreciate one another—to pause, to rejoice, to quarrel and forgive—is itself a form of triumph over the tyranny of busyness.

The ancients, too, held this truth. In the feasts of the Greeks and the banquets of the Romans, men and women gathered not only to eat but to tell stories, to laugh, to sing. The Norse spoke of Valhalla not merely as a hall of warriors, but as a place where comrades feasted and shouted together for eternity. They knew, as Bridge reminds us, that true wealth lies not in possessions, but in the shared joy of human bonds. The smile, the laugh, even the loud quarrel softened by love, are marks of a life fully lived.

History gives us an image in Abraham Lincoln, whose life was bent beneath the yoke of war and sorrow. Yet those who knew him wrote that he loved stories, that he would laugh heartily with his friends, even amidst the gravest trials of the nation. Some thought it frivolous, yet Lincoln knew that joy amidst hardship was not weakness, but strength. Without those moments of mirth and companionship, he could not have borne the weight of his office. In him, we see again the truth that life is endured not only by labor, but by laughter shared.

Bridge’s words also remind us that to appreciate one another is not only to cherish harmony, but to embrace the whole of relationship—even its quarrels. To shout or scream at one another “for being naughty” is not destruction, but part of the play of intimacy. Families quarrel, lovers clash, friends argue. Yet these are not signs of brokenness, but signs of closeness, proof that the bond is strong enough to withstand imperfection. To argue and return to laughter is to know one another deeply.

The lesson, then, is this: do not let the flood of life’s demands rob you of its sweetness. Do not measure your days only by what you have accomplished, but also by whom you have loved, laughed with, argued with, and forgiven. For in these moments lies the marrow of existence. To smile together is to weave joy; to quarrel and reconcile is to deepen trust; to appreciate each other is to resist the loneliness that devours so many.

Therefore, beloved, take this into your daily path: pause in your labors to smile with those you love. Share stories, share quarrels, share laughter until your sides ache. Do not be so consumed by the stern face of life that you forget the playful heart within it. For when the years pass and the harvest of memory is gathered, it will not be the endless tasks you recall, but the smiles, the laughter, the shouts, the joy of being alive together. And this, indeed, is the richest victory any soul may claim.