Because life is too short

Every now and then I’m reminded how fleeting life is.  Yesterday was one of those days for me. It would have been my mother’s 98^th birthday – happy birthday Ma! 

 

Not one to dwell on the past, I quickly turned my thoughts to life and how precious it is.  Positive thoughts.  Live everyday like it's your last kind of thoughts.  You know, the kind of thoughts that make you want to get off your ass and learn to play the violin, or do whatever is on your ‘One day I want to' list. 

 

This made me think of the things we shouldn’t put up with in our lives but do.  And stuff we think we'll change later in life and then never get to it.  Here’s a list of 10 things I encountered recently, personally and in conversations with others, that fit into this category:

 

·         Inferior milk tart 

·         A job you don't love

·         Carrying a grudge

·         No ice-cream?

·         Relationships

·         Lacking a skill

·         Unfulfilled goals

·         Cigars

·         Mediocre work 

·         Health

 

Then I added the phrase "Life is too short" to each item.  See what happened:

 

·         Life is too short to eat inferior milk tart.

·         Life is too short to do a job you don't love.

·         Life is too short to carry a grudge.

·         Life is too short to not eat ice-cream.

·         Life is too short to put up with a broken relationship.

·         Life is too short to put off learning a new skill.

·         Life is too short to disregard your goals.

·         Life is too short to smoke tacky cigars.

·         Life is too short to deliver mediocre work.

·         Life is too short to neglect your health.

 

I like how it adds weight to each item.  It adds a sense of urgency.  And we need that.  We must remind ourselves of how evanescent life is - constantly.  If you think you’re too young to think that life is too short, you’re sadly mistaken.

 

Life is too short to be miserable - Rita Mae Brown

 

This quote sums it up beautifully, doesn't it?  There is just no reason to waste our days, or even our hours, or minutes being miserable.  Life is precious.  Life is an adventure.  Life is meant to be lived to the fullest and with total commitment.  

 

Don't dwell on what's behind you.  Focus on the life ahead of you.  Make the most of the time you have with loved ones, the time you spend with friends.  Make the most of your time at work and contribute as much as you can.  Be the best you can be, every day of your life.  

 

Everything in moderation, they say.  But it doesn't apply when it comes to living your life - not for me.  I don't want a moderate life.  I want a chock-a-block, filled to the brim, jammed full with experiences and excitement life.  I won’t settle for an ordinary life. 

 

Because life is too short for regrets.