The Time You Have Left

"If you have anything better to be doing when death overtakes you, get to work on that."

- Epictetus (55 AD - 135 AD), Roman slave and philosopher

I've lost several friends to cancer this year, and have other friends who are successfully fighting the disease. One thing I noticed about those I lost was their desire to live life as fully as possible, up until they physically couldn't carry on. They truly savored the time they had left.

My friends who are now getting treatment are doing the same thing. They're playing, working, traveling and helping with an energy that is amazing to behold. I did that too when I was going through chemo-therapy. Though I was weak and dehydrated, and often didn't feel like doing anything, I found myself "out there," staying busy, using up each day in a positive way.

This often happens when you're faced with your mortality. I'd heard about living in the moment, relishing each day and living your dreams, but none of this had real meaning for me until I was told I had Stage 3 cancer. At that moment, it all became clear. All of a sudden I had a thirst to do the things I'd put off for too long, and I wanted to live. Something, I must admit, I'd been taking for granted.

While we're making a living, rearing children, fighting traffic, and hearing bad things on the news every evening, we have a tendency to allow the day to overwhelm us. It uses us, instead of us using it. It's hard to get out of this rut. Contracting a life-threatening disease can be a wake-up call, but why does something like that have to happen to make us aware of how we're using our time? Why can't we stop, take a deep breath, and promise that we're going to spend our days in ways that make us whole, drink in each moment as if it were our last, and be good to ourselves?

Bernie Siegel, in his book, Prescriptions for Living, talks about this and suggests asking yourself a question: If you knew you only had fifteen minutes to live, what would you do? Choose your pleasure. Now go do it.