Monday, September 24, 2007

Living for everything

I know a man who has died twice.

Have you ever been around a person who exudes such a calming, confident, quiet aura that simply being in that person's presence makes you happier to be alive? That is how I feel when I'm around the Man With Three Lives. He is inspiring and comforting and just an absolute pleasure to be around.

I think about what I would do if I'd been given another chance, or two, at life. Would I behave any differently? Would I see things through different eyes? You would have to. How could you ever approach life the same way if you've died and come back with another chance? How could you ever go grudgingly through another day, ignoring all the little things that make life such a gift?

The small things I fret about every day are becoming more insignificant and the things I've always wanted to do are more of a reality than just a dream to be put off for "later." Later is no longer an excuse to toss out there, because you never know when later might mean "never."

If I died, and was revived, I would never take the small things for granted again. I'd appreciate the blue skies and the cloudy days a little more, and savor my children's laughter and my husband's hugs and kisses with a whole lot more gratitude. I think I'm already doing that more often simply by knowing the story of the Man With Three Lives, and knowing he was given another chance to live life to it's fullest.

I don't need to die to live like I have, I'm doing it now, more than I ever have before.

And I can honestly say I am the happiest I've ever been. Ever. Who could ask for more than that?

2 comments:

Lisa said...

So happy for you. Just having that wisdom is a gift.

Jim Thomsen said...

You know what I think of when I hear someone say: "I love her so much I would die for her"?

I think: "Why don't you love her so much that you would LIVE for her?" What the hell good does dying for her do?

I don't need death to appreciate life. I need life to appreciate life.

I've had a few near-death experiences ... and I just don't think much about them. Maybe they should have had some profound, life-changing, make-every-second effect on me. But they didn't. Because I didn't need them to.

I'm just cool having a good day today. And another good day tomorrow. And yet another good day after that.