This compelling piece by an anonymous writer was posted by a friend and is a brutally real perspective on life. Life-changing. And an inspiration for living. I’ll say more at the end. But first… give this some thought:
In 100 years, we will all be buried with our relatives and friends.
Strangers will live in the homes we worked so hard to build, and they will own everything we have today. All our possessions will be unknown and unworn, including the car we spent a fortune on, and will probably be scrap, maybe in the hands of an unknown collector.
Our descendants will hardly know who we were, nor will they remember us. How many of us know our grandfather’s father?
After we die, we will be remembered for a few more years, then we are just a portrait on someone’s bookshelf, and a few years later our history, photos and deeds disappear in history’s oblivion. We won’t even be memories.
If we paused one day to analyze these questions, perhaps we would understand how ignorant and weak the dream to achieve it all was.
If we could only think about this, surely our approaches, our thoughts would change. We would be different people.
Always having more, no time for what’s really valuable in this life… I’d change all this to live and enjoy the walks I’ve never taken, these hugs I didn’t give, these kisses for our children and our loved ones, these jokes we didn’t have time for. Those would certainly be the most beautiful moments to remember… they would fill our lives with joy.
And we waste it day after day with greed, intolerance and withholding forgiveness.
So that’s what they wrote. The writer is correct: we DO waste so much of the gift that is this life on things that do not matter. The trouble is, we think there is time. Well, maybe there is and maybe there isn’t: we have no way of knowing our fate.
But we do have an opportunity to choose what we think, say and do while we are here. The experiences we have. How we treat others. Even how we treat ourselves.
We think we have time. But time is a finite thing, at least in this life.
With that in mind, we have fun plans to travel with (or host) beloved friends and family over the next year. Quality time with people we love. People we enjoy. Loved ones we laugh with.
For us? That makes our life rich. Meaningful. Enjoyable.
The heck with so-called New Year Resolutions. What changes will you make in your daily life after considering these words?
I know I don’t do enough to make the world better. I think of people who did – the writer of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, perhaps, or the person who preserved the diary of a young German/Dutch girl during World War II. Even those works won’t live forever but their existence has echoed in history and hopefully will for some years to come.
Brilliant! And true!
Hisby is always talking about the cosmic zoom. Stepping back and taking the long view. What’s important really stands out then!
You have the exact right idea. Make today count with friends and family! ❤
Wow, what a piece to make you think. I have been thinking a lot since in my professional life I am pivoting into coaching. There are so many ways that we can contribute to the lives of others. I hope that we have instilled that in our sons, and continue to.
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I know I don’t do enough to make the world better. I think of people who did – the writer of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, perhaps, or the person who preserved the diary of a young German/Dutch girl during World War II. Even those works won’t live forever but their existence has echoed in history and hopefully will for some years to come.
We can’t forget that we impact people every day….maybe not like big picture helpers but still important…
Brilliant! And true!
Hisby is always talking about the cosmic zoom. Stepping back and taking the long view. What’s important really stands out then!
You have the exact right idea. Make today count with friends and family! ❤
This week all i am thinking about is living in the moment. Now. Be here now.
Wow, what a piece to make you think. I have been thinking a lot since in my professional life I am pivoting into coaching. There are so many ways that we can contribute to the lives of others. I hope that we have instilled that in our sons, and continue to.
That is a gift to the world.