‘Whatever you want to do, do it now’

Christmas Day is past and the new year awaits. I ponder. How do I want to live 2017?

I want to live it with intention — be it my work or play, time with people I like and love or time alone. I do not want to take any day for granted.

Many of us have known the death of a child, a spouse, a parent, a friend, and can remember when we got the news. We may have felt surprised and shocked. “Life was too brief!” we thought.

The truth is life is brief for all of us. No one is guaranteed a certain number of years. Even if one’s family history shows a pattern of longevity — accidents and illnesses happen.

The reality is each life happens only once — and it may not matter so much how long we live, but what we do with the time we have.

I hear people say “when it slows down at work … when the kids are all raised … when I retire ... when my spouse has more time …” We act as if we have unending amounts of time to do the things we dream about.

True, many things are important. Some are necessary. But how much do we do out of habit, without thinking, without giving careful consideration? How much of what we do could be delayed, changed or even eliminated? What is really important in our lives?

I am reminded of a quote by Michael Landon, “Somebody ought to tell us, right at the start of our lives that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit every minute of every day. Do it, I say, whatever you want to do, do it now.”