Someday: A Lesson on Living

“I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I live just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.”

- Diane Ackerman

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Everything in the world has a polar opposite: there cannot be light without darkness; there cannot be love without hatred; there cannot be peace with war; there cannot be life without death.

There cannot be life without death. From the day we took our first breath, we were born to die. But, before we can die, we must live. Are you truly living your life? I ask you, would you live your life differently, if you were told your life expectancy was less than six months? Would you stop complaining about people and things and start appreciating them? Would you do the things you always wanted to do but have never found the time? Would you mend a broken relationship? Would you truly live in the moment and not worry about yesterday or tomorrow?

I do not pose these questions in a morbid sense. To the contrary, I pose these questions to make you think about living your life. Life holds but one guarantee, and that guarantee is that someday we will die. The question is: when is someday? Because we cannot predict when someday will happen, doesn’t it make sense to live each day as if it were our last? You would forget about the past and not worry about the future. A grudge would no longer serve any purpose. You would not let urgent things crowd out the important things in your life. And, you would learn to appreciate every single moment for what it was worth.

I have heard far too many people say, “If only I can get through this day.” That is not living. That is reactive participation. If you lived each day like it was your last day, you certainly would not be saying, "If only I can get through this day." lnstead, you would be saying, “What can I get from this day.” I urge you to live each day, each moment to its fullest. In the song, Live Like We’re Dying, performed by Kris Allen and written by the Scripts , the lyricists tell us:

Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying

You have no control over the length of your life, but you certainly have control over the width of your life – so begin living today and everyday as if it where you last. And, when your someday comes, your life will be a tribute to a lesson on living!

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It's your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it!
MJD