Life Like You're Dying

If the title of this post alone didn’t cue the Tim McGraw Live Like You Were Dying song then you must not have been raised on or listening to country music in the 90’s and early 2000’s (2004 to be exact, some Googling has just informed me). But, if it didn’t invoke that in your mind, then I would still have to bet that some notion or imagery came to mind when you heard it. For me, secondary to the song, the idea of taking risks and living on impulse comes to mind. To truly live like you’re dying means you check all the big things off your bucket list; you go new places, you try new tasks, or foods, etc. Two things about this notion have really struck me lately though. 1) to live like you’re dying in the way of trying to experience all you can before you depart from this life, is it costs A LOT of money. Just a dose of realism there. Not everyone has the expendable cash to go on extravagant trips and tours and experiences. Especially if trying to think of their families and loved ones and maybe dealing with expensive medical bills. The number 2 thing is that we don’t all get the knowledge of when the end is coming. Unexpected tragedies, diagnoses, and incidents don’t always provide the warning needed to “make the most of our last days”. Or, when processing that the end might be near, we may be processing our grief and shock, too busy thinking of practical details over planning extravagant trips.

I’d like to propose that we can all live like we’re dying, and not spend a fortune. You see, the part of the chorus in the Tim McGraw song that I didn’t listen to as much is the part where we move from the physical risk taking, to the better living and loving of others.

“'I went skydiving I went Rocky Mountain climbing I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu And I loved deeper And I spoke sweeter And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying'"

[There’s also a cool thing that happens musically with some accidentals that makes this part musically interesting; so it would seen you’re supposed to hear it differently, or for it to catch your attention, which is awesome]

But holy cow, part of living like you’re dying is loving deeper, speaking sweeter, and giving forgiveness where it’s due. For me, this is everything. We are not all afforded the “opportunity” if you will to know when our time is near; we don’t all get to see it coming. Unexpected things happen every day, every day could be our last, chronic illness or not. So, to really live with no regrets, or to live to the fullest now, and everyday, not just in our last, I think we love deeper, spread kindness, speak sweeter and nicer, we give forgiveness, and grace as if we have an unlimited supply. Don’t wait until it’s almost too late to tell people things you’ve been meaning to say, to reconnect with people, to “tie up loose ends” in whatever capacity that looks like for you.

Personally, my religion calls for me to love my neighbor. Morally, I choose to spread kindness and positivity into the world as much as I can. I listen. I empathize. I weep with those who are weeping and mourning, and offer comfort and safe spaces for people to share their hearts. I believe that we were made as a communal being, we are meant to be there for each other, rely on each other, and experience the highs and lows, together. I’m choosing to live every day like I’m dying; as if it could be my last. I’m putting positivity out into the world not in hopes that “karma” will reward me in the end, but to lift up others and help them when they are down. If everyone is a little sweeter, big changes could happen. Let’s choose to live like that. And if that means you also decide you want to skydive, then, I won’t stand in your way; but I also won’t be joining you 😉