Many of us will remember a song from Tim McGraw “Live Like You Were Dying”.
“I went sky divin’, I went Rocky Mountain climbin’, 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” And then…”Someday I hope you get the chance, To live like you were dying”
When we were younger many, if not most of us, would have heard one of our elders tell us to appreciate every single day. But when you’re young, it seems like you have all the time in the world. The truth is that we do not have all the time in the world but many, if not most, of us do not realize that.
I turned 71 in August and, now that there is more sand in the bottom of the hourglass than there is at the top of the hourglass I can tell you that what your elders told you way back when is undeniably true. You realize as you get older that are here only for a whisper.
Now I savor every moment. In so doing, the quality of my life has taken on a whole new dimension. Eckhart Tolle wrote a whole book about it. He called it “The Power of Now”. In a nutshell he explained, like many other truth teachers do, that your power resides in the present moment.
Dr. Joe Dispenza called it ‘the generous present moment. Other teachers who readily come to mind taught the same thing. The late Dr. Joseph Murphy and Dr. Wayne Dyer, explained to us that, (to paraphrase) by living in the present moment, we can tap into the universal mind. Dr. Murphy and others said that meditation is a key. “It’s the quiet mind that gets things done” He said that ideas will then come, inspired ideas that will take you to where you are destined to go according to the Divine plan.
I thought I knew that many decades ago. However, at this point in my life, what I thought I knew way back then has a much fuller and more profound meaning for me. Here’s why. If you live every day like it is your last, you might find that your days are so much fuller and richer.
As a short example of what I mean, my wife and I adopted a rescue dog in 2017. As things turned out our Danny was one of the most beautiful little creatures I have ever experienced. My wife and I loved him. But Danny got sick and there was nothing the vet could do to save him. I never realized that day at the vet would be the last day I had with my Danny.
Danny was only three years old but he picked up something in our neighborhood that was designed to remove him from the earth plane. It was so hard losing Danny, especially in this way. When I think about him now I would give just about anything to spend another fifteen minutes with him.
It was only after we lost him that we knew what we truly had while he was with us. Now I think that dogs are here for such a short time to teach us to love as much as we can while we can! We have two dogs now and we cherish every moment we spend with them. More than ever before I know that it is appreciation for the things we so often take for granted are the things that are life’s most precious.
I have found that, when you fully appreciate what you have, what usually accompanies that appreciation is a feeling of gratitude. Many teachers will tell you that, when you experience a feeling of gratitude, that feeling opens the doors to abundance in all areas of life including health, happiness and prosperity.
Why not give it a try? Live like you were dyin’. Try to appreciate every moment and all that you have. I think that you will find that your life takes on an entirely new and improved quality that you’re sure to enjoy and profit from in a multitude of ways.
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Grant Edward Rayner B.Comm., LL.B.