There was a point last year where I was searching for some motivation. I don't know if "motivation" is really the right word -- I was looking for a pep talk though, and I was the only one around to give it. I asked myself the hypothetical question: If you had only five years left to live is this the way you would want to do it? It didn't exactly change how I live. I still go to work everyday to a job that I probably wouldn't do if I really only had five years to live. Not to mention that I didn't even change my life insurance nor change my 401k contribution.
I have been more open with the pocketbook. We've booked a couple trips we can barely afford so far, and I'd still like to book that trip to France soon. I bought a new car. Okay, well that was more because I HAD to. We just put in a new water heater. There just is no point in going through your last five years driving a Jeep that is falling apart and taking too-cold showers.
So this isn't to say that suddenly I really am living like I have just five years yet, but I'm not living as if I have forever left to begin crossing items off my bucket list. I've actually realized that I have a bucket list to begin with and that I'd like to check off as much of it as possible.
Now what if that doctor who told me that I have five years left came to me and said, "We were wrong about the five years. You only have two left,"? Not 60 months anymore but 24, give or take 6 either way. What would I do with every single valuable day? It happens to people - not just older people, but young people - people my age with too so much life left it seems unfair they should have to squeeze it into 50 years let alone two. It isn't so much maybe about the legacy we leave at the end of our lives, but what legacy do we leave at the end of each day when we lay down in bed.
I have been more open with the pocketbook. We've booked a couple trips we can barely afford so far, and I'd still like to book that trip to France soon. I bought a new car. Okay, well that was more because I HAD to. We just put in a new water heater. There just is no point in going through your last five years driving a Jeep that is falling apart and taking too-cold showers.
So this isn't to say that suddenly I really am living like I have just five years yet, but I'm not living as if I have forever left to begin crossing items off my bucket list. I've actually realized that I have a bucket list to begin with and that I'd like to check off as much of it as possible.
Now what if that doctor who told me that I have five years left came to me and said, "We were wrong about the five years. You only have two left,"? Not 60 months anymore but 24, give or take 6 either way. What would I do with every single valuable day? It happens to people - not just older people, but young people - people my age with too so much life left it seems unfair they should have to squeeze it into 50 years let alone two. It isn't so much maybe about the legacy we leave at the end of our lives, but what legacy do we leave at the end of each day when we lay down in bed.
