I saw a touching video this morning about a six month old baby who developed bleeding on the brain and passed away. His parents made the decision to donate his organs – and now his heart gives life to another little boy.
Life is such a precious gift, and all too short. Yet, how many of us take it for granted. I know at some point I was guilty of just going through the motions in my daily life. Counting down the workdays until Friday afternoon arrived and I could live it up on the weekend. That’s why I was working after all – so I could at some point enjoy life, right?
Wrong.
I had never really stopped to think about the fact that I was created for a purpose and until I was living that purpose, I wasn’t really living. I was simply existing.
That’s all changed now. I’m so much more intentional about every area of my life now because I want to get every single second out of it. I’m living today like I really mean it. I’m not saying that you have to quit your job and go hike the Appalachian trail to learn to appreciate life. I’m saying that you can enjoy life and live in your purpose right where you are at. (Or, if not, then change where you are at, but that’s a different blog)
It’s not about your physical circumstances – it’s a state of mind. Living life like you really mean it is about enjoying today for today. It’s about stopping to appreciate the fact that you woke up today. It’s about being grateful for your blessings. It’s about being thankful for the chance to give someone a smile today.
For me, it’s being grateful for my past because it’s a powerful tool that I can now use to help someone else. Let me assure you, I haven’t always been grateful for that. There was a time where I wanted to simply ignore it and pretend it never happened. But, living life to the fullest means appreciating what our experiences in life teach us. And, I had to learn to do that. I had to stop running from the past and remember that while I can’t choose what happens to me in life, I can choose what I do about it.
Just like the parents of that six month old baby. They didn’t choose to lose their son. But, they did choose to give life to another little boy and keep some other parents from going through what they went through.
So as you head off to work, or school, or wherever you are going today, take a minute. Take a few minutes. Take the whole day – and remember to live life today like you mean it. You may not get the chance to do so tomorrow.
