Like There's no Tomorrow

We've all heard the expression "live like there's no tomorrow" - which from my experience usually only comes into play when wanting to devour an ice cream cone or have a few extra drinks at a party. It's an expression we live by in order to justify certain behaviors or events, and that's about it. But what if you literally viewed your daily life as if you, or your loved ones, would be gone tomorrow? This was the subject in a recent chapter I read from The Untethered Soul - and at first, it seemed extreme. I could see living moments this way, like giving your children an extra hug after hearing about a childhood death, or being totally present while visiting an elderly family member - but to keep this mind set with every event of every day? Seemed a little morbid.

We all think we have "time" before we die, when the reality is that we have no clue. Chances are that we will not get the infamous final warning and countdown in which we decide to jump out of a plane and complete other bucket list items. It is true, however, that the notion of nearing death changes your views on just about everything. This particular chapter challenges you to walk through your day believing just that: this breath may be my last. And it's true - you do look at things differently, and not in the morbid, poor-me kind of way, but in the "wow, I never noticed how the tree line silhouettes against the sky" kind of way.

It challenges you to view death as a positive, instead of a negative. After all, death is the reason that life is precious in the first place. Something as simple as a car ride to the grocery store can end in a terrible accident, so to treat everyday as if it's your last is actually not all that unrealistic. And when your time comes, you want to feel "okay" with it, in the sense that you lived life to the fullest, and not that you got a list of things done beforehand.

Some of the examples in this chapter were hard to read. For example, it talked about patience with your kids, and that anytime you feel the urge to lash out, yell, punish, whatever it may be - to imagine them gone. Imagine that the moment after your patience was lost, that there was a tragic accident and that child was taken from you. Would you have dealt with the situation any different knowing those loud, frustrated words would be the last? Of course you would. But how terrible, in my mind, would it be to stop and imagine your child taken away from you whenever you "had a moment"? I couldn't help but feel that this was extreme - until I challenged myself to think this way. And you know what? It worked. It put the little things my children did to annoy me into perspective. It allowed my punishments for poor behavior to be explained in a calm manner. It made me stop and pay attention to little stories, expressions, and playtime just a little bit more than before. It didn't make me sad, or morbid feeling, it was a wake up call. Anything can happen at anytime, and if it takes that simple reminder to keep cool, calm, and collected, then so be it. The kids still learn lessons, but through this ultimate lesson in life that there may not be a tomorrow, I learn the most. And I will never regret spending more time and attention to those little beauties.

So to continue this little challenge, I remind myself of life's frailty anytime I'm feeling stressed, overwhelmed, inpatient, or unhappy. I immediately change my train of thought to the positives, and really cherish the present moment I am living. This has been one of my favorite chapters in all of the reading I've done in mindfulness, happiness, and being present. It has taught me a lot, and after starting out pretty skeptical, I'm actually enjoying the positive shift in energy this thought process has brought along with it.

Because, you really just never know...