Thursday, May 04, 2006

Living

During one of my interviews at GMA Week I spoke with a band who had recently faced a number of personal tragedies and as I spoke with them and they shared their stories and I shared mine, one thing kept rising to the surface of our conversation and that was that we shouldn't wait for tomorrow to do what should be done today.

We shouldn't wait until tomorrow to call someone we need to call today. We shouldn't wait until tomorrow to do that thing that we've been putting off and could do today. We shouldn't wait until tomorrow to live the life that we've been given today.

This isn't an easy lesson to learn, but it's one that I have been learning, and in the process I've been changing. I've been coming to grab hold of each day in a new way and embrace the gift that is found in moments.

Playing baseball with my family. Doing embarrassing things with friends. Stepping aside from work to enjoy an afternoon walk through the neighborhood. Turning off the TV to spend some time with Jesus. Living life the way it was meant to be lived.

"Live. And Live Well.
BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply.
Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now.
On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.
If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE.
Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.
If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well.
Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed.
If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own.
If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well.
At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke.
And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven.
And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift."
(Kyle Lake)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In the movie(Tuck Everlasting) there is a part that says, "Don't be afraid of diying, be afraid on the unlived life."