You get to choose … for today!
She did not.
Let me explain…
Most of you have been there. Either you’ve had a close call with death or you’ve watched someone else die. You KNOW you will die at some point. Some of you, however, refuse to think about it. But during those times that death is staring you in the face – up close and personal – you have no option but to look at it.
That’s what I did earlier this year…stared at death…literally.
My mother-in-law passed away recently from small -cell lung cancer. We watched as she passed away in her home with those she loved around her. We watched as cancer took everything she was – her modesty, her dignity, and, eventually, even her breath. It took absolutely everything from her. During that time with her and the family, one thing monopolized my thoughts…we are all dying too. At this point, however, I just don’t know the exact date.
When my mother-in-law was diagnosed, the family encouraged her to do the things she’d always wanted to do but hadn’t had the “chance” to do. We encouraged her to travel or to eat “bad for you” foods, to go visit loved ones that she hadn’t seen in a while. We encouraged it all. While we were encouraging her with all of these things I realized something. It’s not that she hadn’t had the “chance,” she had “chosen” not to do some of these things – and now there was no more time to “choose” differently.
I love this quote by R.A. Salvatore:
“We are all dying, every moment that passes of every day. That is the inescapable truth of this existence. It is a truth that can paralyze us with fear, or one that can energize us with impatience, with the desire to explore and experience, with the hope- nay, the iron-will- to find a memory in every action. To be alive, under sunshine, or starlight, in weather fair or stormy. To dance with every step, be they through gardens of flowers or through deep snows.”
Yes, you are dying. But at least, for today, it’s not now. So, you have “choices” to make as well. You are “choosing” what you will spend your time on, who you will spend your time with, how you will think about your day and the words you will say. You are “choosing” all of it. For today, you have the “CHOICE” to spend your time with meaning, with love, with family and friends, with thankfulness.
I am “choosing” as well. Part of my working virtually from my home office is just that – my “choosing” to live every minute. I wrote about this choice early on in my career as a Virtual Assistant. I will not spend a minute more in a cubicle with artificial light overhead and a humming sound in the ceiling. I will work from home, enjoying a view that is beautiful, working on something I’m passionate about and spending my time with family and friends instead of a commute stuck in traffic with hundreds of other commuting strangers.
You get to “choose” too. You get to “CHOOSE” how to spend your valuable time here. Will it be with your eyes stuck on a TV screen, cell phone screen, or computer screen? Or will you “CHOOSE” to work and live in a way that truly energizes you, helps you be thankful and helps you make a difference in other people’s lives?
You, right now, have the time to “choose.”
Life may not be here tomorrow, but for today, you can “choose” to live it!
“Choose” wisely.
If you’d like to talk with me about how to “choose” a type of life like I’m talking about, please get in touch. I love helping others learn how to work virtually, and in turn, “choose” wonderful things to do with their days!
Talk soon!
Stephanie Brodt