“The whole future lies in uncertainty; live immediately.”
It’s been 4 weeks since I posted here. 4 weeks that I needed away, needed separation from writing and a break on doing this blog in order to think through some of my own priorities. A chance to practice living immediately and not wait on the uncertain future.
I had a dream last night. Likely due to a couple things being on my mind of late, primarily the notion of living immediately has been top of mind for me.
I dreamed I was given 3 days to live. It was scheduled, timed to the exact moment of my demise from a disease. I was entirely healthy to live my regular life, how I wanted to but only 3 days left. Morbid, I know! The intriguing part is how the dream played out. I didn’t panic to really live this extraordinary life over those 3 days, I went about my regular plans through the weekend. Nothing out of the ordinary, I simply went about my days with the worry in mind but no change to the schedule.
I know, I believe we all know, this would never happen in life. A handful of days away, we’d make the most of it to really do some amazing things and not the regularly scheduled agenda. We’d be open, honest, and true to those we loved. We’d travel somewhere we had been meaning to go. We’d move those “I’ll do it next month or next year” passions to today. We’d live with such a sense of urgency, and love with the same sense of urgency. We’d regret and we’d look back, on all those moments we let pass by since we can’t accomplish them in 3 days.
What if we were told exactly the day and time we were passing on, not the 3 days but simply when the exact moment would be but 10, 20, 30 years down the path of life. We would likely live life much differently than we do. That last year, those last months would all be entirely different. Somehow the actual clock and time ticking, like a countdown, would make us act and set us into a panic of needing to achieve before the time was up.
Why don’t we live life this way? The future is uncertain, for every single one of us. No one being is immune to dying, it’s happening at some point, it’s inevitable. Our clock is ticking, it’s just not sitting in our living room reminding us of how many days, hours, years, or minutes remain. There isn’t a reminder that you might be playing the last game with your child, kissing your spouse goodnight for the last time, talking to your parents for a final time, getting one last shot at that dream trip you wanted to do, or spending your last year working that job you despise.
I’m just as guilty. I’ve gotten stuck in lulls, put things off, procrastinated, and don’t live my absolute best life for myself, my family, or my community. Nobody is perfect here, not even close. I believe our best response is to recognize it, respond to it, and keep it top of mind. Every decision will not land this way, but the more you think about it the more you’ll steer towards what means the most in your life. You’ll gain the strength to say ‘yes’ to those opportunities that align, and you’ll have the strength to say ‘no’ to those moments that do not align with your best life.
Death isn’t something people like talking about. It’s actually a topic that people ignore assuming thinking about it makes it happen. We all know it’s inevitable but we continue to live life as if we have an infinite clock. The more you manage to think through this inevitability, the more you’ll live less stressed, happier, and at peace with the world around. You’ll be making all the decisions you want to make and not worrying so much about the things that don’t matter.
Life is meant to be lived, if it means fearing death than so be it. You’ll learn to procrastinate less, love more, and truly live your best life.
DadBud
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