You slowly open your heavy eyes to see your loved ones surrounding you, with pained, concerned looks on their faces. You try to reach for them, but pain sears up your arm and all through out your body, so you stop. You can’t remember much, and aren’t quite sure how you got here. Someone reaches out and starts to stroke your hair. You feel comforted. As you glance around the room you notice a clock, a table with flowers on it, a few chairs full of people you think you recognize, a white wall, a scheduled routine for medicine, a pitcher of water, and a door that says, “bathroom”. Next, you notice the thick socks on your feet, and the white blankets keeping you warm, though underneath them you feel exposed. Then, you begin to hear sounds: “beep, beep, beep”-the heart monitor sings its’ tune. A voice you recognize says, “I’ve been thinking, while you were asleep-I wish we would have taken that dream vacation together, to the Galapagos- the weather there has been perfect”. Another loved ones voice says, “We should have started up that business we dreamed of- I bet it would have taken off like we had hoped. What were we so afraid of?”
Just then, a doctor comes in and asks everyone to clear the room, except for the person holding your hand. Several people come and kiss you on the forehead, and say, “I love you”. Then, they leave. The doctor pulls the curtain around your bed and puts some x-rays up on a small white box with a backlight. He pulls out his chart, takes a deep breath, and says, “I am so sorry to tell you this, but you have Stage 4 cancer. We estimate about 3 months to live”. Before you can even process the words you just heard, you feel tears fall down on your hands- you look up and see this person who loves you so much, crying. In a split second, you process that there may not be many moments left where you get to hold their hand, and you begin to cry, too. The doctor leaves and your life flashes before your eyes. You are just 42 years old.
Now, with the end in mind do you instantly feel regret? Or do you feel peace? Have you done all the things you wanted to do? Or are you making a checklist in your mind of things you want to do before the final moment comes? Is there one thing looming in the back of your mind that you should have pursued years ago, but put off? Why do we wait for tragic moments to boldly live our dreams?! The truth is that we will all face a final moment someday, and it is up to us to make every moment count until we do. If you are not already doing the thing that brings you joy- that thing you feel gives you purpose, what are you waiting for?! Why is your dream still a dream, and not something you are doing? Whatever it is, your dream… DO IT. Boldly take a chance and live it out! We only get one shot at this life! Make it count.
