Would You Live Your Life Differently?

It’s been almost two months since I lost my friend Melanie. I still can’t believe she’s gone and pray every day that her kids are ok and know that she is with them.

I started wondering if she would have done anything differently during the days and weeks leading up to her death if she had known she was so close to dying.

Then a couple of days ago I was with an older friend who said he was really struggling with his age and mortality.

The idea of not being here was depressing him and making him not want to do things. I didn’t say much since I didn’t feel anything I could say would be useful, but then I had a revelation of sorts.

I decided that although of course the idea of dying is scary, isn’t the idea of not living while alive even more terrifying?

He could sit in his apartment for the next 10 or more years paralyzed with the idea of the how and when he will go.

Or he could live for today and try to enjoy every moment. 

Against all odds, my dad lived until he was 87 years old. He smoked for 50+ years before he quit at the age of 70, he was overweight and had high blood pressure. He didn’t exercise and he definitely didn’t do any yoga or meditating. 

Yet he lived a very full life until the end. I’m so glad he didn’t stop living 10 years before he passed or he would have missed out on so many great memories he made with his nine grandkids.

While we can’t control when our time is up, we can most certainly make the most of the time we have here. 

So I was thinking if I knew my time was limited, what would I do differently? Would I get on the first flight to somewhere amazing or buy a VIP ticket to see Enrique Iglesias again?

Maybe, but only if I’d be traveling somewhere with family and friends and there’s lots of laughing along the way.

I’m so grateful travel is already a big part of my life and I hope to see a lot more of this beautiful world. I already go to a few concerts a year and just had the privilege of seeing an incredible performance by Maluma.

I’m so happy to say I’m already living my best life. It may be relatively boring, but it’s full of all the things I value most.

Spending time with my family and friends, laughing, loving and enjoying each other’s company. That’s how I want to spend today and every day, no matter how much time I’m given on this earth.

As Morgan Freeman so wisely said in the movie Shawshank Redemption, “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

The idea of death can be scary, but I hope you live your life in a way that makes you want to savor every moment, up until the very end.

Wishing y’all lots of love, light and happiness.