Life and Death

Ok this may sound a bit odd and out of left field (for this blog, but not necessarily for where I am in my life) but as I was sitting here at home outside, enjoying a beer and just reflecting on things and some very intriguing thoughts came to mind. The idea of mortality crept into my head. Nobody really knows when they'll go but the question is how will you react when it's your time? Will you be ready? Will you be scared? You can't really answer that until you're in that situation. People always ask, if you were told you were going to die in a month or a week or a day, what would you do? Most people would undoubtedly answer they would go out and experience everything life has to offer, do everything they've always wanted to do, and be with the family and friends. My question is if you never really know when your time is coming, why not live like that everyday? I'm not saying you need to go and be reckless because not knowing when you're time is up also means you must be prudent with your resources. I think my answer would be slightly different than this though. My reasoning is that while I would want to experience and see things before I go, I can't take all that with me. In essence it's not about what you take with you but rather what you leave behind: your legacy. What kind of impact will you have had on people's lives? What will people say at your funeral? I think if I could've lived my life and made a positive impact in just one person's life I think I would be able to die happy and complete.

When you look back at your life and what you've done, will you be happy? Will you feel like you accomplished something? Will you feel like you wasted your life? Of course nobody would ever say they've wasted their life but you can ask anyone if they regret any decision they've made in their life and 90% of the time you'll hear "Yes, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world." That's good because those experiences make you the person you are today and but in all reality, being placed back at the moment where you made a certain decision knowing what the outcome would be would most likely yield a different result. I'm going off on tangents now...

Of course the answer to this will be different for everyone but to me life is about the relationships you form with people. The family and friends whom you hold closest to your heart. I am lucky in that I have a very close family and I cherish each moment I spend with them. I am also very lucky to have a tight circle of friends that I know I can talk to about anything and they will always be there and have my back no matter what. When the day comes that I have children of my own, that to me is the perfect opportunity to leave a legacy behind. Nobody impacts that life and development of a child like their parents. I just got through reading To Kill A Mockingbird and the character of Atticus in that book left a profound impact in my life. He stands as a moral icon and the way he remains steadfast in doing the right thing no matter what, is highly admirable. I can honestly say that's the first character in a book that has gotten me to change some of the ways I think about things. That is a true man who stuck to doing what is right in the face of inredible opposition and is a great model of the type of father I hope to be someday. I have much more thoughts on the subject but it's hard to get them all in order and say what I want to say with out repeating myself too much. Just wanted to get this down while it was fresh in my mind.