Act Now...

Imagine for a moment.

You wake up in the morning.  You grab your mobile phone and start your morning routine, checking your apps before crawling out of bed.  Everyone does it.  It's okay to admit it.

You check facebook for your “on this day” memories.  You look at the snapchats from your crazy friends who snap late at night.  You look at the weather.  News headlines.  You close those super-fast so as not to get depressed.  You take a deep breath and look at your work email to see what your day has in store for you.  And there you see it. 

An email.  Subject line reads:  Limited Time Offer - ACT NOW!  You wonder what it is - did you forget to renew your museum membership?  Is it a new cable package?  You open the email.  It reads:

This note is to inform you that the lease on your life is about to expire.  Act now.  You have 24 hours left.  Make the most of it. 

(Let's also imagine for a moment that this is a perfectly normal thing and therefore you don't question if it is legit or just spam from a prince in Nigeria.)

What would you do if you knew that this was your last 24 hours on earth?  How would you spend your day?

Would you go to work and finish that big presentation because you don't want to let your coworkers down?

Would you grab your family and head to the zoo?

Would you host a killer dinner party for your closest friends?

Would you head to the lake for a picnic and sunset?

Without a doubt, you would make the most of every second because you know those seconds would be your last.  You wouldn't waste one moment on being anything less than happy.

Negativity.  Toxicity.  Drama.  When you only have 86,400 seconds left - spending even one second on any of them is way too many seconds to waste.  A second passes too fast.  You must cherish each and every one because tomorrow, they will be gone. 

I see people daily who will let one tiny thing ruin their entire day.  A car cuts you off in traffic.  A fast food worker rolls their eyes and sighs.  The cable goes out.  A client moves up a deadline.  The eyeliner pencil breaks mid line.  You see your ex’s new flame in line at Starbucks.  Your neighbor is having another “sport ball” party and his 4 college frat brothers are all parked in front of your house (and all the other houses on your street) …again.

These moments should not be deal breakers.  Yet, we (as a society) spend so much energy fretting about these things.  Energy is a very precious commodity.   

For the past few years, I have been trying to train my brain to live in the moments that really matter.  I remember standing next to my "about to be" husband on my wedding day and thinking “This moment right here.  I want to remember this feeling.  This second.  This second is going to be over before I know it and I want to be in this moment right now and always remember how I feel right this second.”

I probably should have been focusing on the priest, but since we have managed to make it through 15+ years of marriage, I think God will forgive the mental minute that I took to make sure I lived in that moment. 

The older I get, the more I have tried to practice this philosophy.  Live in this moment.  It won’t last forever.

I also try to remember this when life gets me down.  Just like the happy moments that pass way too quickly, the sad ones are also temporary.  Acknowledge that moment, but don’t get weighed down by it.  It too will pass.

I spent so many of my “younger days” feeding on the drama and negativity that was around me.  Worrying about what other people were doing or what they thought about me.  In fact, I believe now that I thought that it was just normal.  But the truth is – it’s exhausting.  And it just doesn’t lead to me living my best life.  Or my happiest life.  And isn’t that really what the end game is?  Living my best and happiest life?    

I always ask myself, “at the end of the day – does this really matter?”

I revisit the question that I posted at the beginning of this entry.  If I received an email that told me that I have 24 hours left to live, how would I spend those precious seconds?

I would gather all my family and friends who I care most about.  If the weather were right, we would head someplace that is naturally beautiful and drink wine and eat good food and laugh.  If it were raining, I would dance in the rain with my husband and stomp in puddles with my daughter.  If it were snowing, we would find a fireplace and a blanket and work on a puzzle while drinking hot cocoa and baileys. 

I would listen to music.  I would send an email to work and tell them where to find exactly everything they needed to continue without me.  I would tell those I care about how much I love them and what they mean to me.

I would go with the flow of where the day went, because I can’t waste time trying to make it perfect.  I would live in each second.  I would not waste them.  I would not regret a single one.

I might also send a nasty email to the ex who did me the most wrong so I could get the last word in once and for all.  Like I’ve said before, I’m a work in progress.

This, however, is real life.  In real life - this imaginary email doesn't exist.  Under most circumstances, we don't get a warning that our last day is indeed our last day.  Every day could be our last day and we should always be aware of that.  The day I realized this - and I mean REALLY realized this, was the day I started truly living my best life.

Live in each day in the moment.  Focus on what makes you happiest.  Don't feed or dwell on the toxic negativity.  It really is that simple.