68, 3, 11, 97, 1, 116, 382 – Numbers To Wake You Up

Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand–and melting like a snowflake…     

Francis Bacon

For Lilly, because I promised you I would…

For Angela, and all the things we never got to do…

For Kate, who was taken from us too soon, and whom I still miss stupidly…

Hey, Lovelies.

Are you happy?

Are you living a life that deeply matters to you, and which gives you joy and meaning?

Are you doing the things that your heart keeps whispering in your ear?

Or are you putting it all off until some future time when it might be more appropriate to recklessly do your own thing? Are you making sensible choices, being the responsible adult, paying the bills, making the best of a bad situation and justifying your misery because others have it so much worse than you, or out of some errant sense of duty?

Take a minute.

Stop.

Put your hands over your heart and close your eyes.

Let your awareness drop down inside you, and feel into that space. Is this really the life you’d imagined for yourself, or are you just playing safe?

Now let me give you some numbers:

68, 3, 11, 97, 1, 116, 382

These are the numbers of days that loved ones of mine (from my friends, students, clients and community) had between when they were first given bad news or suffered a medical emergency and when they passed. All of them have passed recently. One, only yesterday.

Not one of them had expected to die so soon.

For many of them, those numbered days were not the kind of days they’d consider quality living. For one of them, 112 of those days were in a coma.

All of these people had plans to start something they cared about one day. All of them had dreams waiting to be given a little attention.

None of them were able to see them through. They thought they’d have time, until suddenly they didn’t.

What would you do if suddenly you had just 68 days left, or 11, or 1? Even 382? Could you do all that was in your heart? Could you make them enough? Especially if many of those days would not be yours to live, but instead would be part of the process of your disintegration?

None of us is promised a future.

Life is fraught with risk.

The best we can do is live each day, stay present, be mindful, slow down, be in the moment, and make choices that bring us satisfaction.

Please don’t hold off on your plans and dreams and desires.

Don’t live a life where it’s all brussels sprouts and no ice-cream.

This is your one precious life. PLEASE treat it like the gift it is and use it well.

All my love, some furiously strong hugs, and wild encouragement, Nicole xx