Life Is Short

We all hear the phrase “life is short” probably a bit too often. Often we will say it after a friend, colleague or family member passes away too early (according to our personal timetables). For a brief moment, we reflect on the fact that none of us is guaranteed the next minute and yet in the next minute, we act as if we have the rest of our lives to do the things we think we really ought to do.

This week, I had two friends die, both named Kathy. Both of them were driven businesswomen, admired by many, and both of them were way too young to die (according to my timetable). Over the last several days, I have found myself often saying “life is short.” And I think I am finally getting it—life really is short. So rarely do we really live in the moment and soak in all that life has to offer us. We postpone that longer talk with a friend because we have to get dinner on the table, we don’t end conversations with an “I love you” or a hug because we need to get on the road, and we put off following our dreams because the task at hand needs to get done.

We postpone, delay, put off and procrastinate the moments that will really matter in our lives.

In one of the books I read this year, I read that devout Buddhists believe that what you are doing the moment you die will determine where you will be in the afterlife. I pondered this for a while, and realized that this is a wise philosophy no matter what faith you hold dear. This is about making each moment count. This is about saying to each minute, “I will do something right now that I will be remembered for and will make a difference in my life and in the lives of others.” This is saying, “I will live as my higher power asks me to live.”

But most of us live lives that we don’t want to be living. We are fed up with the jobs we are in. We are in relationships that are toxic. We are holding in emotions and feelings, especially those of grief. We think that maybe today will be a better day, but all the while we know on some level that it won’t be, until we take charge for ourselves and change the circumstances we are in.

Life is a precious gift. Life in its fullness can be joyous.

A life in which you are living your passions can be spectacular.

Living life in such a way where the moments are treated as things to be cherished and treasured is a life that is abundantly blessed.

My prayer for all of us (including myself) is that we live in the moment, that we realize we have so few moments left and we need to step out now to make changes that we know we need to make. I pray that we are not impatient with each other, but rather that we are impatient with allowing our lives to be anything other than the lives we want to live. I pray that we become so impatient, that we just can’t wait to start life anew, following our passions, giving and showing our love to others and stretching out our hands to help and encourage each other. I pray that we live lives that are abundantly blessed with every emotion, including joy and sorrow, and be fully present in those emotions. May we truly realize that life is short, and that it is the moments that count.

Shalom.