Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal.
Live this day as if it were your last.
The past is over and gone.
The future is not guaranteed.
- Wayne Dyer
This day could be my last.
I remind myself of that fact every day, not because
I am morbid or because I have a death wish,
but because I want to keep in mind that life
is too short for me to do things like
carry around resentment and anger,
bad feelings,
and regrets.
If I die this afternoon,
I want to be able to tell myself that I did
all I could to reach my goals
and dreams,
even if they were not actually realized.
If I were to act as if life were
a rehearsal,
all of my steps would be
tentative--for I would
know that the real performance,
opening night,
would not come for a while.
I would know that I could make a
mistake and then spend some time
working on the area where I made
the mistake before the
real thing came along.
The fact is, though, that my mistakes
of today can definitely hurt other
people.
I can and will make mistakes,
bit if I live from my conscience and
from my heart,
if I am honest and loving,
I will make very few mistakes--and those
that I make will not be nearly as drastic.
If I knew that today were my
last day,
I would want to make amends with
anyone that I needed to
make amends with.
I would be kind and courteous and loving
because I would want
people's last thoughts of me
to be positive.
I would want them to remember
my loving side,
a girl of character,
and not my selfish side,
and a girl of faults.
This could be my last day.
Am I treating the people
in my life as if it
were that day?
If not, why am I waiting?
You don't choose how you're
going to die, or when.
You can only decide how
you're going to live. Now!
-Joan Baez
♥
