Live Like You Were Dying

I vividly remember being a child and calculating that by the year 2000 I would be 45 years old but, as a friend of the family reminded me each time I saw her.....the world would end by then. That lovely lady is almost ninety years old now. She expects the second coming any day but, she has chosen to live her life, as Tim McGraw put it, "like she was dying". She needs some help walking, terrifies all who ride with her at the wheel but, she continues to move, learn and is always willing to grasp the new concepts that keep coming her way.

I suppose how well we age is about making the right choices..... There are a percentage of us who are either overweight, smoke, drink, don't wear sunscreen, don't get enough exercise and, go through extremely stressful situations.......Then there are those of us, who eat only what we know is right, consider the body a temple and work hard to keep it moving and, go through stressful situations.......Then there are those of us who have chronic illnesses or, have abused our bodies in every way possible and, go through even more stressful situations.

No matter how well or badly we treat ourselves, our lives could end tomorrow. Or, we could live to be 90. You can choose to "Think this might be the real end" and consult a physician, have a surgery or, take a pill for every little thing that doesn't seem quite right.

We could "go sky diving" and, fight past every little ache, pain and,ignore some serious issues. But when it's your time.....you go. I back this up by witnessing two dear friends with so much life ahead of them, taken away from cancer while in their thirties. I've grieved when people I knew were killed by an accident or an act of nature. I've known people who have been murdered.

All of them "never had the chance to live like they were dying". It's a good idea to love deeper, speak sweeter and give forgiveness you've been denying because tomorrow is a real gift...........My 90 year old friend obviously has been living that way her whole life because she has always believed that the world would end tomorrow. She has lived like she was dying.