What’s Important?

The Right Now                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Some say it’s living in the moment. Being present. Dismissing the past and being open to the future. Allowing the fullness of what is to run over and through you. I agree that you can miss wonderful parts of your

hangglider by pampy96 on commons.wikimedia
Image via commons.wikimedia.org, courtesy of pampy 96

life by worrying about things you can’t change or things that haven’t happened yet. Mastering the technique of the here-and-now is an art form.

I was dating a girl years ago. She invited me to go to a concert with her and another couple. I had never been to a concert. I said yes. It was about an hours drive to the venue. At the last-minute I decided not to go. I wasn’t sure why. I had already paid for the ticket. I just had this feeling come over me. It wasn’t anything spooky or mysterious. Just a feeling of nah, I don’t want to go. On their drive home from the concert they were in an accident. Their car left the road, crashed into a tree and they were all killed.

While I have thought much about this over the years, and I have a couple of other similar stories to tell, I have never been able to declare the moral of the story. I do know that the now is the only aspect of your life you have any real power in. What we do in our now brings the past and future into alignment and cooperation with what is alive in us.

The Will                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 It’s an important document, A Will. Without it your intentions might not even be considered. The last thing you want to happen might be the very thing that happens when you are gone. Beyond the paper instructions left to deal with our assets we will leave behind some things much more important. Everyone will remember how we made them feel. How we make other people feel is the direct result of how we learn to feel about ourselves.

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Image via flickr.com, courtesy of BK

Legacy is a powerful motivator for those who think about such things. I want my legacy not to be a carefully crafted set of actions employed solely to keep my name in the public eye. I have visited many buildings that were named after someone and I haven’t given two seconds to thinking about who some of these people were. How they lived their lives. They might have a historical connection to me but I didn’t know them. Some powerful people with their names on buildings or memorials have turned out to be scoundrels.

What I will everyday, the intention I have to make the world less chaotic, dangerous, and threatening, is what’s important to me. I can’t change everything I don’t like. But I can demonstrate kindness, generosity, and a willingness to share. I can live my life believing in you and your dreams. I believe that our highs and lows, our wins and losses help to balance our individual and collective greatness. Our living will, attitude, beliefs, and actions, tell the real story of our lives.

Leave a comment about what’s important to you!

 

 

 

 

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  1. I have had similar situations happen to me like yours, and with the recent passing of a family member who didn’t leave a WILL I think that is one thing that every person over the age of 21 should have and review as that is one thing in a cup of many that is important to me.. Thanks for the insight.