Before You Die

Before you die

I am so used to live the present moment, that some times I forget to focus on what is critical instead of what is urgent. The day-to-day habit and challenges can quickly fill up my hours, and I overlook the right things to spend my energy on.

This week, I was talking to a friend of mine whose mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. This came as a surprise for her family who lives in Asia, and suddenly this girl who is based in the States, had to make a last-minute decision: stay here with her son and husband or fly back to her home country to be with her mom, not knowing when she can return.

First Things First

How many times does life put us in a situation where we need to decide between two not-so-good options? In a split of the moment, we have to jump into something we don’t like, nor want, but have to.

We can choose to get desperate, scream, get angry, run away; nevertheless, none of these options can be part of an effective solution. The space between what we want to do and what we can do sometimes is too thick.

Breathe and Move Forward

My friend made a decision. She packed up and got ready to fly, even though her mom didn’t want her to leave her own family and work.

That posed a question in my heart. One can never be 100% what is best in the long run, but how to be happy if one cannot live in peace with our decisions? Time is precious, sacred and limited, and we need to value it.

Our choices, small or large, show who we are inside and can completely change our future lives.

Looking Inside

After my conversation with her, I started to think about things I want to do before I die. That was a long shot as many times the list comes with things that can be bought with a credit card.

In perspective, I cannot bring to the spiritual realm anything that has a price tag on it. When I pass, the only things I will have in my pocket will be my memories, values, choices, and actions.

As I want to travel light, and instinctively I believe that we will carry less weight by doing good deeds. Therefore, I know what I should focus on.

I don’t want to look back and regret not being loving, helpful nor caring about others and myself.

I want people to remember me as the person who sowed smiles, who was able to lend a helping hand when someone was feeling alone and had a word of compassion even when I was in pain.

I want to be able to look at my past and see my kids turned to be good men, who are ready to face life challenges and opportunities. I want them to be able to express their emotions and have the courage to handle adversity when everything seems to be against them.

I want to know that I did everything I could to take care of my health, my body and was able to love myself despite my flaws and weaknesses. I want to feel confident that I valued my puny energy and bounded time by respecting my health constraints.

I want to love life, appreciate my body and tell my beloved ones how important they are. Be able to appreciate the good and bad moments, and become someone better every day. Accept my fear of the unknown, but never give up.

What about you? Have you ever thought about what you want to do before you die? Share your thoughts if you feel comfortable, otherwise give it some thought.

We are stronger together.

Yours truly,

Hope

“A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.” – Saint Basil

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