An AHA moment

I was asked out of the blue a few days ago; "How short would your life have to be before you would start living differently today?" 

Even though i know that intellectually each breath could be my last, i still find myself spending an astonishing amount of time thinking about things i cannot change - possible futures, pasts mistakes and what could have been done differently. 

The truth is; the end of our lives is always just one breath away.  I think that for me living habitually is a way of denying this truth.  A way of saying that I have all the time in the world to change, to live differently, to live joyfully, to live meaningfully, to help others, to take risks, to love unconditionally.  

How short would my life have to be?  It already is as short as it could possibly be. 

A reason, a season or a lifetime?

Been thinking of the many people who have come and gone in and out of my life over the past 27 years, now I realise how very necessary each of them were. Some came for reasons, some stayed a season or two and a few have given me a lifetime of memories.

A number of them came into my life when I was confused and showed me the way or directed me on a different path, some came into my life to mirror the roads not to take and share their scars. A few came to contribute to my reflections of self and the world while others came to invigorate my minds and teach me to dream bigger and be bolder.

Many came for a season or two; to take me through a test, a trial, to share in my joys and sorrows for that particular time period. Then subtly they or I would move on and find new roads and lives to contribute too, a unique cycle of life.

There are those very few who last a lifetime; for me they are the ones who I share a silent bond with even if I don’t talk to them often. They tend to be the ones I turn to in sadness, the ones who know what I love to drink and hate to eat. The people I share my adventures and my somewhat crazy “PLANS” with.

I realise that with all of my “a reason, a season or a lifetime” kind of friends I share uniquely fond memories of different times, different places and a somewhat different version of me.