Life & death

​I've been thinking a lot about life & death lately and really more specifically what we do with the one precious life on earth we've been given. Death is extremely hard - obviously not for the person who's in no more pain, resting, the soul living eternally, but for those left behind with the struggle of living without physically seeing/hearing/touching that person again. 

This past weekend I attended a memorial of a friends husband who died last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. It look a while to plan something safe and meaningful and I thought it was important to support a grieving friend. I knew "Dave" very briefly and very little. I learned more about him during the memorial service then I did the previous 10 years I only surface-level knew him. He left a legacy - so many people were impacted by his kindness, athletic, artistic and musical talents it was impressive to hear the stories from family and friends. I wanted to take a lesson away from it. "Live like Dave" I thought. That would mean doing art, taking up musical instrument lessons and being active in a sport. It seems like a lot of work to live like Dave.... but dang it, why not? This lead me to other memories. The four year anniversary of my sister-in-laws passing (still very hard as she had so much life left to live - including with her three young boys. I'll never understand that lesson) and the memories of my mother in law Dianne whom I miss every single day. 

I thought I should attempt to document how someone else's life & death could impact my own. Here are a few topics that have meaning to me:

1) Do the thing you always wanted to do! (Travel, play a musical instrument, design a home!) Live like Dave, Dianne, Jeanette & live life with passion & purpose.

2) Family is everything. 100%

3) Friends that aren't loyal don't deserve a place in your life.

4) Be kind. There is always room for improvement in this world.

5) Love! Love people, animals, nature, babies, seniors, teenagers, dark days, blue skies, traffic jams, birthdays cold weather AND yourself. The last one is probably the most important.

6) If you dwell on the negative, the more negative things will appear to be. Positive vibes only.

7) Release the past, plan for the future but be sure to live in the moment.

8) Why worry about what other people think of you? When you are doing your thing, who cares what other people think about that? Not their life, not their concern. (tough one for me being that people pleaser)

9) Let small worries stay small. Don't grow them into something big. Water what truly needs your attention.

10) Leave a legacy behind you'd be proud of. Determine what that would be and go do it!


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