Don’t take life for granted
How often have we all had this experience? We meet a friend for dinner, have a great conversation, and then end the night by suggesting that we do it again soon. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn’t. We might even go months before we think of getting back together. In our often hectic lives, we are sincere with our offers to others, but find ourselves too busy to follow through. We typically don’t think about it, as we rationalize that it’s “just life.”
A few weeks ago I had this experience. I had the opportunity to get together with someone that I hadn’t seen in person for over two years. We talked about how great it was to finally meet in person, instead of Zoom. We even discussed that a huge positive coming from the global Covid policies is how much we value in-person human interaction. My friend told me how excited he was to finally get to travel. He and his wife booked a trip to Hawaii to celebrate their anniversary. At the end of our time together, we both agreed that we should do this again after he returned.
About a week ago, I received the shocking news that my friend had suddenly passed away during his trip to Hawaii. He suffered a major heart attack and didn’t even make it to the hospital. My emotions were overwhelming. Many of them stemming from the conversation we had just had the prior week. Losing someone you knew, loved or simply shared a meal with can be traumatic. In this case, the grief was exacerbated because we just had a conversation about how much we all take the simple things for granted. Especially, human connection.
Admittedly, this was difficult for me to share. With all that we are currently going through in our world, I didn’t want to risk being too somber. However, there is a silver lining. My friend lived a great life, provided for his family and left behind a legacy for them. Everyone who knew him is shocked, sad, and state how great of a person he was. You can measure the quality of a life by what is said about a person when they are gone.
In each of our journeys, we will come upon loss. However, how we live through that loss is important. We owe it to ourselves to continue to be strong and move forward. More importantly, we owe it to those around us. In the end, we all have an expiration date. We will all eventually shed this mortal coil as we move on from this life. Knowing that should be a reminder that we need to be grateful for every moment we have. Our life is a blessing and we should focus on truly living. The only limits we have are those we place on ourselves. In our struggles, let’s all make the choice to live a limitless life.