He Waits For Us All

About 2 months ago, a colleague of mine was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given a verdict of “3-6 months.” She has handled it well, making all the necessary arrangements for her imminent death. She processed the necessary paperwork for an extended leave from work, and has since moved out to Minnesota where she will spend her remaining days. I really don’t know how I would react to such news. Would I curl up into a ball and stay in my home? Would I go out and do anything and everything I ever wanted, legal or illegal, healthy or unhealthy? Would I spend hours per day in the gym trying to make myself “better”? Would I sit in a church everyday asking God to forgive all my transgressions?
But the reality of it is, each of us could only have 3-6 months. Each of us could be breathing our last breath this very moment. We never know when Death will come, but we only know that someday he will. And a situation such as the one facing my colleague makes me realize that everyday is a blessing. It helps me try my hardest to live each day as it were my last for it very truly could be.
But I also realize that when facing the ho-hum boring stuff of everyday, it is so easy to forget that each day could be the last. It is very easy to just wish every weekday away, hoping for the weekend. It is very easy to continually long for that vacation that will take me away from it all if only for a short time.
Hard as it is, we must all cherish our lives each and every moment. We must live each day as it were our last. And we must do whatever we can to try to make our lives last longer. If you don’t exercise, start! Every one of us can walk. It doesn’t cost anything, and it only takes about an hour a few times a week. Will it guarantee a longer life? No. But it will make you feel a whole lot better, and may prolong your life a bit.
If you smoke, stop! Statistics are there. Even if you don’t die of lung cancer from cigarette smoking, you more than likely will face some medical problems that will diminish a fuller life. If you drink excessively, take it easy. Alcohol has been shown to be somewhat beneficial, but too much can kill you!
Stop and smell the roses. Reach for all the gusto life has to offer. I ate lunch with another former co-worker of mine yesterday. She’s in her mid 70’s, facing open heart surgery for the second time in October. But she truly is an inspiration. Like the Energizer Bunny, she never quits. She carried her portable oxygen tank to the restaurant, and just looked at it as part of life. My first thought after we finished our lunch and I went on my merry way was that if I had to carry an oxygen tank with me everywhere I went, I’d probably just stay inside my home and never leave. But then, I remembered my friend’s attitude. She was grabbing all she could of life despite facing medical issues and a surgery that could in reality, end her life. But she is adamant to make the most of what time she has left.
Yes, Death comes for us all sometime, maybe today, maybe not for another 80 years. But I guess what we need to do is keep him at bay as long as we can, and when he does come, tell him, “I’m ready ‘cause I’ve lived the MOST I could!”