"Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite. Or waiting around for Friday night or waiting perhaps for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil or a better break or a string of pearls or a pair of pants or a wig with curls or another chance. Everyone is just waiting." -Dr. Seuss
There's nothing more annoying that someone telling me to save money and be ready for the future. Sure, that's important, but it's equally important to live for today! Life's rug can be swept out from under you faster than a New York minute, so it's important to fill every day with passion, love, and good times.
Here are 4 ways to live a richer life on a daily basis:
1. Tell Someone (Anyone) "I Love You" Every Day
"Baby, I might not be smart, but I’m gonna show you my heart!" -Cynthia Ford in "What I’m Thinking"
I remember one time when I was a kid my family went on a trip with another family. As the plane took off, the other family screamed to each other, "Love you!" The dad said it to sons one, two, and three, his daughter, and his wife, and everyone responded back, "Love you!" in a brief but rich chorus. My family tried to refrain from laughing at the oddness of all the "love you"s shouted in public without any worries over what others might think. But over time, I came to realize how sweet this was and started telling people "I love you" much more often. Don't be embarrassed to wear your heart on your sleeve. Brilliance shines brightly from the person courageous enough to express their emotion.
2. Live Like You Were Dying
Several years ago, Steve Jobs went for a doctor's appointment only to be told the shockingly sad news that he had pancreatic cancer and no more than 3 to 6 months to live. He suddenly needed to tell his kids everything he thought he'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. He spent the day getting his affairs in order only to find out later that evening that he actually had a rare form of cancer that was treatable. It was a powerful brush with death, bringing home the message that Tim McGraw turned into a hit country song: celebrate life and "Live Like You Were Dying" (at least some of the time). Goes like this:
Well, I finally read the good book
I took a good long hard look
at what I'd do if I could do it all again…
I went sky-diving,
I went rocky mountain-climbing,
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu-Man-Chu
I loved deeper, I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying!
And he said someday
I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dying!
3. Pick Your Moment
Okay, so you can't always live like you were dying, or you could end up homeless and begging for pocket change. But at the very least, you can pick a moment every day where you give yourself a chance to eat, drink, pray, love…whatever your highest passion and greatest joy is. In fact, how about right now?
Ty Hernon sings about it in "Living in a Moment":
Tell me something, who could ask for more
Than to be living in a moment loving every minute
Tell me something, who could ask for more
Than to be living in a moment you would die for
4. Embrace High Moon at 12 Noon
A great yogic exercise to seize the moment is to lie down on your belly right smack in the middle of the day (though doing it at the end of your day works too). Nothing fancy here. As Leonardo da Vinci said, "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
No comments:
Post a Comment