Last week a friend of mine died in a horribly tragic accident. She was a warm caring woman who left behind two little boys and a husband. Her sudden death shocked all of us. She was in the prime of her life with everything ahead of her, everything to live for.
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about what my last thoughts on this Earth would be about if I knew I was going to die. My family came to mind first and how sorry I would be to leave them. But I also wondered about my dreams, about what I’ve accomplished in my life so far, about whether I’m satisfied with what I’ve done.
Carpe Diem
Thinking about all of this had made me realize a few things. I need to enjoy my time with my family more. I need to stop worrying so much about day to day life, like whether I’ll get dinner ready on time, whether everyone had clean clothes to wear, and whether the house is clean. I need to enjoy take the time to read more with my girls, play checkers with them, go for walks, read books, have a glass of wine with my husband. I need to enjoy day to day life more.
As for my dreams… I’ve decided I need to prioritize my writing time. I don’t get much time on the computer and the little I do must be prioritized. The majority of it must go to writing my stories, not facebook, twitter, blogging or other social media. That’s not my thing. My dream is to write fiction and while I know I must have a web presence, I also have to be true to myself. I’m going to write my stories and if I have left over time… then I’ll worry about how many twitter followers I have.
On the whole, this past week I’ve realized that I need to live life. Not just survive it. We all need to live life while we can. Yes, it might sound trite, but it’s also completely true. We can’t wait on our dreams, or our life. We can’t bemoan yesterday, or wait for tomorrow. We need to grab life today and wring everything we can from it.
Carpe Diem
If you have a couple of minutes I suggest you watch this video of a Britain’s Got Talent audition. It’s a few years old but it’s a good one. Totally inspirational.
I hope your week is filled with joy, creativity and an overabundance of ideas. Carpe Diem.
Leanne Shirtliffe (Ironic Mom)
Elena Aitken
Trish Loye Elliott
Not trite at all, Trish. I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. It often takes a horrific tragedy to bring priorities in line. I agree completely with everything you’ve written here. If it helps, a woman I met in NY got an agent and a 2-book deal (ironically, not as a result of the conference) without having a blog, Twitter account or even FB presence. She writes.
xo
So sorry to hear about your friend Trish. Life is so full. Of lessons for living. I like your idea of prioritizing and cutting the trivia. Keep up the wonderful writing.
I, too, am so sorry to hear about your friend. Sudden, tragic loss is so difficult to deal with and come to terms with. I wish you and her family peace.
You are so right, though, situations like this definitely make us re-think our priorities. I wish you, too, a week full of love, laughter, and creativity!
I have to agree with you 100% Seize the day!
Trish,
This is an amazing post, and is sure to inspire all who read it.
So so so very sorry for the loss of your friend, and for her family.
Christi Corbett
Hi Trish, I’m sorry for your loss. I first learned about Carpe Diem from Dead Poets’ Society when I was a kid. That scene is so powerful, I still get chills as the camera pans across the old black and white photographs.
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Condolences for your loss. This is beautiful! And you are so right! I had one of those moments on Feb 17 this year. I had two last thoughts. One was about my husband and how I wasn’t ready to leave him and the second thought was, “Is this really how I’m gonna die.” A ‘thunder clap’ migraine caused those two thoughts, but how I came to have it at 1 a.m. while almost asleep from reading is the baffling question. And one that baffled the minds of the team of neurologist’s who treated me and tested me for all the ugly things a human being can have. I’m not prone to migraines but do get headaches. The searing pain that tore through my head that night is something I won’t soon forget. It was while lying in the hospital I realized how I need to prioritize a few things, like cuddles with my husband, reconnecting with friends, making more of an effort to see friends and family, and to finish my novel and other writing projects. I’ve been so worried about whether I’m any good, and probably wasting my time that I’ve been procrastinating. Doesn’t matter now. All that time I was worrying and procrastinating I’ve put to good use doing the things I love and one of them is writing and finishing my novel.
Karen
Trish, I thank Christi Corbett for providing the link to this post on her blog site. I am so sorry for your loss, for the loss of a wife and mother, a good friend. None of us know the time we have been given or how precious it is to live every minute to the fullest. The gift of live is not meant to be stashed in a cabinet or hidden in the back of the closet with those presents you wish you could donate … this gift is to be used, consumed, relished and every last bite needs to be savoured as though it was the last bite. Treasure your friend’s memory and use up every single minute of your gift so that when you get to the end, you are exhausted, filled and ready for your next great adventure !!
I am so very sorry
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