I started writing this about a year after I first heard the dying word from my doctor. It was and is my hope that by sharing my experiences as I go down this last leg of our earthly journey, that I might provide some understanding of what it is like at least from my perspective. I do believe we are spiritual beings not just “physical” beings. It is like our physical bodies are but housing units for our spiritual selves. Our homes,our dwelling even they have an expiry date. With proper care and maintenance a house could last for I suppose hundreds of years. But eventually with the elements, wear and tear even the best house will have to come down.
Now that is like our bodies, proper care and maintenance can possibly extend or physical lives but irregardless like it or not, we do have an expiry date. Our physical bodies will only last for so long. What is life, it is what we do with our time here on this earth from when we are born to when we reach our personal expiry date. For me I think I spent most of my life living for tomorrow or several tomorrows from now. I would be exhausted, stressed to the max. just fighting to get through the day, the week or the month. I always carried the thought in my head, things will be better when…….. Some how it seemed that magical “when” just never came. Life was like on a treadmill, rush your way through one set of issues or problems only to find an entirely different set just waiting and that magical “when” dated moved further ahead. It was always there but always just ahead of me just beyond my grasp.
Some where along the line I came to realize, life is now and must be lived now. Yes it is good to have plans for the future, goals to work towards but we can’t forget to live life now while we are constantly pushing for that magical “when” date.
How many of us waste our lives either waiting for that “when” or stuck in the past with the “if onlys”. If only this hadn’t happened or if this had happened, I wouldnt ‘t be where I am today, it isn’t my fault my life sucks, poor me..
Life is today and what we make of it TODAY. Today is all we have, hopefully and likely there is a tomorrow for each of us, but there is no guarantee of that. Maybe we don’t like the hand we were dealt in this life. Life is not always fair but it can be so worth it. It is though only going to be worth as much as we are willing to put into it. It truly is one of those things that the more you put in the more you get back. Don’t get stuck waiting for tomorrow or living in the past. Life is now and shouldn’t be wasted on anything but truly living it the way it could or should be.
No one wants to die or well very few anyway. That must mean you want to hang on to the life you have. If you want to hang on to the life you have, why are you complaining about it or unhappy with it? Could it be better I am sure it could, all of your lives could in some way but it really could also be a lot worse. Life is lived in our heads, it is what we make of it. Waht are you making of your life.
Dying mans daily journal 
Thanks for this reminder.”life is now and must be lived now. Yes it is good to have plans for the future, goals to work towards but we can’t forget to live life now while we are constantly pushing for that magical “when” date.”
This advice can’t be preached often enough and you have a prime pulpit to preach it from.
(((((((( Bill and Vi ))))))))))))
Blessings to you both on Mother’s Day–and best wishes to Vi and Nellie on the special day.
Yaknow….I’ve read this twice and feel a bit smaller for reading it. Which obviously means that I’ve gotten out of the day and taken that ‘Life was like on a treadmill, rush your way through one set of issues or problems only to find an entirely different set just waiting and that magical “when” dated moved further ahead.‘ and started putting it into practice–or at least it feels that way.
And yes, I know I’m the one in charge of that one so I’m the only one that can go back to doing what brings me different results and a sense of peace and contentedness.
Gratefully, it’s within my realms to make that adjustment. So…..
Tonight I’ll count some blessings, take note of the little gifts throughout the day and consider myself hugely GRACED to have had the 24 hours that I just had.
Cuz that’s hugely TRUE.
((((((((((((((( Bill )))))))))))))))))))
Bill, this is a great post! Life most definitely should be lived at the present moment. Like you wrote, our lives are lived in our heads, so whatever we make of it is what we live. Nobody wants to die but we must focus on the present in order to actually live. My uncle is currently at the last moment of his life. A cancer that spread from his lungs to his brain. Now he has not eaten in more than 8 days… I went to visit him two days ago and appeared very frail. I look at him and think of how limited life truly is. We tend to miss a lot. I feel bad for my aunt and cousins. It is truly a sad moment. But this experience must also be a reminder that we should live each moment as it is our last.
Hi Noel, sorry to hear of your uncle. My prayers go to your entire family.