Have you Lived? Really Lived? How does one live their Life to the fullest? How does one determine the value of the life they lived? How do you determine if it was a life well lived or not? As a child I thought having lots and lots of people at my funeral showed the value of the life I had lived, the number of people who loved me, and if people cried for me the more the better. Didn't that mean that my life was Awesome if people cried over my passing? Childish views!
What do I need to do in my life to make sure it is Lived Well and Good and Deliberate? Maybe I need a really long bucket list. Isn't that the "In" thing right now. Now, don't get me wrong, I'd love to have the job of "Idiot Abroad"... What I wouldn't give to be able to experience the things he has experienced. Of course, I would be terrible for that show because I wouldn't complain and whine enough.
Maybe I need to participate in death-defying stunts or high adrenaline extreme sports like sky-diving. I need to go on grand adventures around the world, or at least around the contiguous United States. Perhaps I can determine the value of my life lived by the house I have built, the money I have saved, my investments, my accomplishments, my awards and accolades. Or better yet, by the spiritual life I have lived. Having lived a healthy, wholesome life would also be a great determination of the value of my life lived.
Ummmmm... NO! That's just it, my idea of living a Great life is not determined by how risky, how lavish, how experienced, how long, how spiritual a life I live. My life is based on what I value... your life is based on what you value. Others will critique my life once I am gone. Some will find it necessary to put a value to the life I lived. They will give me a thumbs up or a thumbs down, but it won't matter because I won't be there anymore. I will be in a better place and starting on new adventures and a new life.
I am, right now, at this very moment, living a Great life. Now I might not feel the same way 6 months from now if a major life change happens that takes me by surprise. Something unexpected happens to tilt my cozy little world on end and jumble up the balance I have maintained. But isn't that what life is best at? Life is great at tumbling things around, adding that extra weight or two or three to one side of my scale. It's what is the most frustrating, most expected, and most exciting part of life: That tipping of the balance we have worked so hard to create.
Have I Lived? I have lived deliberately at many different times of my life. I have watched as my carefully balanced scale has been disrupted and tipped horrendously to one side. I have reacted to situations in life, and I have deliberately made decisions to regain balance. I have lived 43 years of life and plan on living at least 42 more. That means that I am halfway there. I will not be a world adventurer, I will not live wealthy, I will not be in newspapers and magazines, I will not live a particularly healthy life, I will not have dozens and dozens of people at my funeral, and I will not die a martyr. But, I will have lived a life that I am pleased with, a life I feel was lived and lived well, a life I will be proud of, and when it is time for me to leave this world, I will be ready to move on to new adventures knowing that this life lived here on earth was one Kick Ass Adventure!
By the way, if you are planning on attending my funeral 40-some-odd years from now, don't be shocked when my children play "Highway To Hell" by ACDC at my funeral. It is a family joke and they Absolutely plan on playing that song at my funeral. When you hear it, just laugh and enjoy. Let me share a little secret with you... I plan on going to a better place ;o)
Copyright © 2012 Life's Casual Observer blog, Lauren Espinoza
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