Fifty-two Week Challenge: Week 13, Live As If You Were Dying

Almost a year ago, by good friend and neighbor, Hopie Eubanks, passed away. It was a shock to me. I had just talked to him the night before his death; I had called him on my way to the airport and asked him to look out for a package being delivered to my house. He sounded his usual upbeat and cheerful self at that time, but he was hiding his pain and sickness. The next morning, he was gone. He was 80 years old. He had lived 29,227 days.

I am sure Hopie had not planned on April 2 being his last day. He was a religious man, so I am sure he was ready when that number arrived. Are you? The old cliché "live this day as if it were your last" is often spoken with little thought to it. What would you do differently if your numbered days were up? Would you complain about the weather? About your work? About how messed up the traffic is in your town? Even your health? I don't think you would. In fact, you would probably appreciate all you have and have been given. Somehow, the things we worry about would no longer matter.

To live your life as if it were the last day (for one day it certainly will be) is tough. It is contrary to how most of us live. Because living as if your days are numbered takes discipline and courage. It requires a new mindset. With this new way of thinking, you would probably see life not as a process, but one of acceptance. In short, it is about perspective.

Our goals and our lives should have perspective. You should look at the big picture and strive for what is good and pure and excellent. Create your own life statement and define what is true for yourself. Surround yourself with people that matter and celebrate with them often. Be grateful for the number of days you have been given; make each and everyone count if you can. We each have been given great gifts; please don't squander them. Make a difference and live all your days as if they were your last.


" ... taking the long way home through the market I slow my pace down. It doesn't come naturally. My legs are programmed to trot briskly and my arms to pump up and down like pistons, but I force myself to stroll past the stalls and pavement cafes. To enjoy just being somewhere, rather than rushing from somewhere, to somewhere. Inhaling deep lungfuls of air, instead of my usual shallow breaths. I take a moment to just stop and look around me. And smile to myself. For the first time in a long time, I can, quite literally, smell the coffee." ~Alexandra Potter, The Two Lives of Miss Charlotte Merryweather