About five years ago my best friend died.
About 4 years ago a good friend and coworker died.
Death always has a profound affect on our lives.
It changes us in ways we may suspect at the time but never fully realize until much later, if we are lucky. Sometimes we may never realize.
My best friend had a philosophy, one that many people may think as either stupid or short sighted. She believed that the point of earning a salary, of having a job was to enable you to do those things you want to do. To enjoy life. Why save your money or time, you can't take it with you.
And she was right, she could not take it with her.
Sure, you may say you are saving for your children's education, or for a new house or whatever. And you are correct, for you those may very well be worthy goals. But she never had any children and she did not need to save for retirement as she did not live beyond 34.
She believed in living in the moment, living every moment to its fullest.
Which brings me to me, to myself. What am I doing with my life?
What do I do on my weekend?
I play games. Computer games. Board games. Miniature games.
I sit in my room and watch TV series. Read books. Surf the Internet.
Do I enjoy doing these things?
Sure.
If I were to die tomorrow and it were possible for me to look back on my life, would I regret the things I did and the things I did not do?
The answer is very simple, yes.
Now I am not saying I want to save the world, heal humanity.
What I am saying is that sitting at home, reading a book indoors, playing a computer game, surfing the Internet is not the last thing I want to have done.
If I were to choose my last memory, my last activity, it would not be most of what I have been doing up until now.
I would rather be sitting under a tree, reading a book, watching the sun set over a lake while quietly sipping a refreshing drink.
The only question that remains is ...
Would I be there because I am always there, camping next to the lake
or because I had booked a rondawel at my favorite Kruger Park camp for a long weekend
or because had been working for six months and I was spending a little time at a time share.
Sir I like the cut of your jib!
ReplyDeleteWhile I admit there is a chance I could have a massive coronary here at work, a place that isn't really ideal for a warm and happy death, at least I'll still be having fun though! (Ssssh, but I rather like work and I can sneak onto the net which ups it's intrinsic happiness value no end.)
For me life is about having fun but not being a total bumwad while doing it AND trying to find the positives in the negatives which I do with a 90/10 success rate, yay me! Life seems to have a lot more adventure that way, do you find?
Put us down all you want, the realistic optimist has it made!
p.s. you have the same blog background as mine! Great minds!
ReplyDelete(Or lack of origionality on Google's side, who can tell?)