I thought I would try something new. I thought I would share a few things going on in my life and how that has influenced my most recent thinking.

1. One of my favorite uncles has had a massive heart attack. He went 8 minutes without oxygen and is in a coma. The man is an executive for a major government contractor and loved his work. His brain activity is now less than 10%. He worked all of his life and it appears that he won't see retirement.

2. A friend of mine, pulling a stupid stunt, had an accident and broke several vertebra. The doctors are fairly certain he will be a paraplegic if not a quadriplegic.

Both of these sad incidents have occurred in the past two weeks. It has caused me to take a moment to reflect on my life. I have been too passive. I have not been proud of who I am or what I have accomplished because I have spent too much time listening to what others think of me. I have internalized that negativity and created a negative self-image where nothing I do can ever be good enough. I am working a job that is certainly not a career and I'm just passing time until I finish my masters.

I think it's time that I start living. I know that may sound odd, but seeing these two laid up in bed, one without brain and the other without a body, makes me realize that I don't know how much time I have left. I wouldn't want to stand in front of St. Peter without a really good story.

Why wait till you know you're dying to create your bucket list? Everyday you live, you are one day closer to dying. Make em count.

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I've been down this road having spent 9 days in a coma myself...

I don't get worked up or have anxiety about my life...Jim Fixx was a world class runner who dropped dead while jogging...

Maybe it has to do with demeanor, but I joke about my accident...I know some others would've gone under a rock and moped...It's kinda like the question of whether a glass is hall-full or half-empty...

Yeah, you can reflect on things, but don't give yourself an ulcer over it...

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"You get the respect that you give" - cnredd

I almost died a couple of times in the last ten years. Guess what? I knew exactly what it was I hadn't done that I would not want to leave this world without doing.
You probably know too, deep down somewhere, or maybe even just under the surface. Perhaps you will stop and consider the situation and decide you are taking your best path after all.

Hope you don't mind corny country music.

If these occurrences have made you asses and reassess your life and its direction, or ponder your soul's journey, then you have been given a great gift.
Pray for guidance that you'll use it wisely.

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Salty

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Death and loss has a way of giving your life perspective like nothing else can. My brother was hit by a car and died just short of his fourth birthday when I was only 12 years old. It happened right in front of me, though luckily I didn't see it happen. As a result, my family relocated to South America, my parents divorced and I spent my adolescent years with a single mom. I always figure I could have benefitted from some serious therapy,

In any case... what I learned is to never sweat the small stuff. My family is everything to me. While I excel at my job, it never comes before my family, I never lose my cool because nothing at work is ever really that important. I don't define myself by what I have, the clothes I wear, or by how much I money I make. Instead, I consider my legacy to be raising my children well, setting a good example, and helping people out. It's mind boggling that I would have a completely different life but for those five or ten seconds that changed everything. I would actually be someone completely different. It is not only what you have, or what you do, but it is also what you lose that will define who you are. That is why I think before I jump, and live my life with no regrets,

Loss is like life but comes in at number two. It might be the biggest single thing to so many all over the world.
But it is personal, also. A piece of our selves is lost. Yet time doesn't stop. I mentioned my wifes name many times in the last two years. One can gain I think form lose. The good times become what one might always remember.