Matters of Life and Death

A very dear friend of mine was in a horrible accident this weekend. She was one of the lucky ones. Whereas others lost their lives or had them changed forever, she's in bad shape but will by the grace of God recover fully.

Or will she?

What remains to be seen is the affect a tragic and significant incident like this will have on her life. There is no question coming this close to death is likely to have an impact in some way, shape, or form. In her case, I know it will be positive -- she's going to be just fine and maybe even better than before. Life has dealt her a pretty shitty deck of cards in her time, but she's been blessed with the gift of resilience. Like always, I know she will come out smiling with the support of her true friends and family who love her to the ends of the earth.

But let's face it. We as a collective take life for granted. We're here, going about our business, bitching about our spouses (or lack thereof--guilty), toiling through the days, doing the things we think matter. They don't. But it takes, in most cases, an event like this to trigger reality. Yes, reality. The things that count in the one life we have to live that could be taken away at any moment.

I challenge you to think about your life in those terms. The things that you would want to be judged by in death. Then act on it. Live it to be so. Tell someone you love them every day. Hug yourself. Stop worrying about material things. Show appreciation for the little stuff. Get rid of toxic people. Respect what you do have, if only the ability to see, hear, touch and feel.

Life is a gift, and it is truly short--even if it isn't taken from you prematurely. We all know this could happen to anyone, but we also know the reality is it might never to most of us.

Don't wait around for something to spur the positive change in your life. It's yours to live, make the most of it.

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