I suspect that many of us do not wake up and feel beautiful from the minute we leap out of bed, eager and ready to face the wonderful day ahead of us. Some of us in fact, throw off the covers when the snooze alarm tells us there is no more time for 15 more minutes of sleep and that we will be late if we don't get moving immediately. Not a propitious start.
Think in contrast, about how children greet the day. They catapult out of bed and sometimes race to yours to get you to join them in greeting the new day. They are full of boisterous excitement and energy. You meanwhile, sit up, rub your eyes and stand up trying to figure out why and how morning has already arrived. Some of us, without that first cup of Coffee, are likely to be somewhat cross-eyed and surly.
Meanwhile, with or without our co-operation or appreciation, another beautiful day awaits our consciousness of it. If you think about it, life being the strange and wonderful thing that this is, this could turn out to be the best day of your life.
One thing is certain. This is the first day of the rest of your life. The best part is already present the minute you wake up...you woke up.
NOW WAKE UP! I mean it, WAKE UP! Time for you, me and the rest of us to stop taking most days for granted. Time for us to really wake up and really look at the new day that awaits us.
Many days the sun greets us, but even when it doesn't lift our spirits by shining at and upon us, we can still begin our day by appreciating we are alive. However, I suspect, many of us, including myself don't do this with any consciousness.
How did we get away from the exuberant expectation that today is going to be a great day and that we are living a great life and are happy to be alive? When and why did life stop being a source of discovery and wonder? When did we stop celebrating the beauty of life and our existence and instead became this sluggish creature dragging itself out of bed...and moaning and groaning as we do it?
I'd say that the day we began to take life for granted, as one day inexorably followed another, that we lost our way. I say we lost our way, because we forgot what a gift each day is.
At this very moment in time, around us and throughout the world, possibly millions of people are experiencing their last day on earth. Many, if not most of these, are silently begging for one more day to remember and enjoy the many wonderful things they have known and lived and experienced. Suddenly each second is a precious gift because they know it will soon be gone. Each moment that is passing is ending the only experiences and the only Life they have consciously known and lived and like the rest of probably often taken for granted.
Many times, someone asks other people what they would do if they had 6 months to live. I'd ask this of myself deliberately if I stopped to think about it at all. But really think now, What if this were your last 6 months, or last week or last day of life?
For some people, being given notice of a specific or predicted period of life, such as 6 months, might let you plan some grand farewell full of the best things life has to offer.
One week, truncates our plans a bit; we could still fly off to one of the places you always dreamed of seeing and hope we've made the best decision to use the remaining time we had completely blissful and happy.
One day left however, positively places us within the life we are living and most likely, keeps us in the place we are living in now.
One day left: A prospect not as inspiring perhaps as jetting around the world with the Bucket List in hand and really going for all the dreams we haven't realized before, because now we know time is running out. But there it is, you are on your last day. What would you do with it, if you knew this beforehand?
Each of us will have a different answer for the 6 month scenario, the 1 week one, but the 1 day is a real puzzler.
Meanwhile, for better or worse, Life doesn't come with a warning that today is your last day. What I am putting out there, for myself and you is, if you or I, knew it was our last day, what would we be doing differently? I conclude by asking, Why aren't we living as would want to now? What's your excuse? What's Mine?
Also published on Word Press April 2014
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