Every once in a while a story crosses your path that touches your heart. It stands out from the hundreds of other posts and videos that you see every day. It does more than entertain, it connects with you on a deep level, and in some way changes how you think, and perhaps even inspires you to change your behavior. Even in just a small way, you are different because of hearing this story. This past week I came across one of these stories.
I was working on a jigsaw puzzle while listening to a podcast. (Laugh if you will. It’s my antidote to watching too much TV news). The podcast was about how our beliefs play an important role in creating our health.
The guest told the story of how his mother had married a second time; a “curmudgeonly man” as he described him. His step-father developed cancer years later, and was 97 when he passed. His wife cared for him in their home at the end of his life. This guest described his step-father as being “out of it” the last few weeks, but two days before he passed, he opened his eyes and was fully conscious and aware. It was the words he spoke at that moment that impacted me profoundly.
He said, “I never had any fun!”
How tragic. To be alive for almost a century, and never have fun?! What an incredibly sad understanding to have at the very end of a very long life.
I believe this story can serve as a cautionary tale for us. We can take this gentleman’s stark realization and use it to show up for our lives with greater awareness. We can use his experience to understand the importance of balance in our lives; that all the working and struggling need to be balanced with play, appreciation, and joy.
Imagine yourself on your deathbed at 97. What do you want your final remarks to be? Will they be, “I never had any fun!” like his, or will it be more like, “What an amazing life I’ve had! So full of love and joy! I’m deeply grateful and at peace.”
Our time to choose comes not at the end of our lives, but today, now. It’s never too early (or late!) to begin to live with greater awareness and purpose; to live our precious lives in ways that that will bring a sense of fulfillment not only at the end, but today as well. Let’s begin now.
If you would like some support in creating more fun and joy in your life, why not reach out and schedule a FREE 30 minute call to explore how life coaching can help you live your best life.?
