Taste Life Blog

Do deaths help you reflect on life? Gary and I intentionally created a summer filled with family memories after Dave, our sweet brother-in-law, passed away May 16^th.  Another loss this past week, my pen-pal Janet Stillman passed away. She was 93 years young. Janet was very compassionate and always, always had time for you. She was still not used to outliving most of her family and friends. She often said, “Thank you for being my friend Chere, all of my family and friends are dead.” I know she deeply missed her twin sister. Janet was very matter of fact. I remember the first time I visited her home and she took me on a tour. She matter of factly stated, “This is where I broke my neck” as she pointed to the basement steps she once tumbled down. She was known for her dozens of Christmas cookies and her garden. Last summer I found her kneeling in her garden at the age of 92 when I went to visit.

Do you ever wonder when you will die? I do. Gary thinks I focus on death. I guess I do. I wish I knew my expiration date. (I think for some odd reason I will be 88 years old just like my beloved Gram Lily.)

If you and I knew when the end was in sight would we live differently? I know I would! The good news is that we all know we are going to die, we just don’t know when. So, why aren’t we living like we are going to die?

I loved the comedy drama Family Man about a single, succesful investment banker who gets to experience how his life would have been if he made a different decision 13 years ago (i.e. choosing to stay with his girlfriend over a fast-lane career). It’s a movie with a ‘what if I had done this instead?’ experience and contrasts the life of one with great wealth and success versus a quiet family life.

The movie encourages people to do what they love. There is not one set blueprint. Do you establish a career, make lots of money and have no time for a family. Or do you create a family? Or do both?

Ask yourself these questions.

• If you continue what you are doing today, where it is going to lead you? Relationships, career, or wealth in the bank? Is there where you want to be headed? There is no correct answer.
• Are you living a life for someone else?  A life lived for others but not for you?
• And is this the life you want? If not, what are you going to do to change it?
• For myself, I know that relationships are my special blessings. You, my Taste Life subscribers, are my blessings for being part of my life for the past ten years. I thank you.
• By focusing on my death tomorrow I have learned to really, really live today. Gary and I are making plans. There is no promise of tomorrow. Today please spend five minutes thinking about how I would live “if” and begin living that “if” today. Remember, you don’t get to choose how or when you will die, but you do get to choose how and when you start to really live! Do it today!
• We would love to hear how you are living it up!