Loving Life

"Life is short." No doubt that is an expression you have all heard and I'm going to guess that most of you would agree with it. But the question that is really relevant is, "Do you live in a way that embraces that concept?"

Clearly, life is also stressful. There just seems to be so much to do. And though technology was supposed to make life easier, it seems to have only added to our burden of making life more complex and adding onto the endless "to do" list.

The reality

Unfortunately, more than I'd like to, I hear a story of a very untimely passing of someone. At my present age, these people seem way too young. Sometimes, the people are even stricken down much earlier in their lifespan. When I learn of these situations, I can only make sense of them by thinking they are providing a lesson: to pay more attention to the now; to make sure I don't let it slip away unnoticed.

It's hard to do. With so much "important" work that seems to require attention, how dare I take time for myself?

Recently, my daughter asked me to take a trip to China with her. I must admit, China was never on my short-list to visit. And, in the summer when I don't teach, it's generally time I use to catch-up on my pet projects. But then I realized, "How often would I have the opportunity to travel and spend this quality time with my daughter?" I re-prioritized!

Some tips

How do you live your life? Do you find that you can barely keep up? Are you always tired and/or frenzied? Do you truly feel that you are experiencing a good quality of life?

I have a couple of suggestions to offer you so that you can start to live more fully in the present:

1. Each day, take the time to look at your surroundings. What do you notice? Are there pretty sites to see or do you hear birds singing? Have you watched the sunset? All of these are free and truly add to your life's joy.
2. Sure there's a lot to do; in fact, there's always a lot to do. But take out 5 minutes for yourself -- just 5 minutes. By meditating or just relaxing in this time period, it will really make a difference in how you approach the rest of your day.
3. When something is bothering you, question whether it's really important and worth your energy. Here's a little trick: think about whether this same issue will concern you a month from now, a year from now, or ten years from now. If it's not important, let it go.
4. If there's a problem, don't put it off. You are far better confronting it than having it be on your mind and silently depleting you. Getting information on the subject will help you deal with it.
5. Approaching any situation with humor, if you can, will certainly help. Or reframe it, i.e. think about it in a different way.
6. When your children come home from school and want to share their day with you, are you really listening? They will only be little for a short time and whether you pay attention to them or not will have a lot to do with how they feel about who they are.
7. Prioritize your relationship. If you want your relationship to work, you have to work at your relationship.

Yes, life is short -- but we can make the very most of it. That is your choice!

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