Friday, August 1, 2014

I watched a B grade movie last night (surprise) and at one point, I found myself thinking deeper thoughts than I really wanted to. In the movie a high school student’s father dies (shot by CIA operatives) and as the light in his eyes fades, she begins to wail. At that moment, all I could think was that for the entire movie to this point she showed nothing but disdain for her father, she did things to embarrass him, jeopardize his career goals, and showed No affection for him at all. Yet, after he dies, she wails and cries as if something important has been taken from her.

Why is it that we as people tend to fall into this cycle of treating those closest to us, our loved ones, so roughly, with such contempt on a daily basis yet if they were to be taken from us either by illness or a CIA bullet, we mourn deeply for the loss in our life.

Wouldn’t life be sweeter if we treated each of our loved ones as if this were their last day on Earth? How would we treat others if it were our last day on Earth? To treat each day as our last may change our outlook completely. I have a friend that works in the hospice industry and her company shared a list of the things people typically regret at the end of life. That list includes, "not spending enough quality time with family and friends." How would this world change if we all, as Tim McGraw sang it, “lived like you were dying.”

So before you act in a way that is contrary to how you feel (IE acting hateful or hurtful towards someone you love) think of what you would want to say or do for their last day alive.
It may change how you act, hell it may change how you live.