Art Slam » Food for the Creative Soul

Wake up! If you knew for certain you had a terminal illness–if you had little time left to live–you would waste precious little of it! Well, I’m telling you…you do have a terminal illness: It’s called birth. You don’t have more than a few years left. No one does! So be happy now, without reason–or you will never be at all." – Dan Millman

I am a woman of words and after reading these, they resonated with me big time. I had a friend tell me a few years ago that her husband would look at their daughter and say how happy he was and how sad he was at the same time. Looking at his young child reminded him how beautiful youth is and also reminded him of his own mortality. I used to tell her he was extremely morbid, but he had a point as does the above quote.

There are no guarantees in life except that it will pass you by if you do not seize your moments. All we have are 0ur present moments and for the ego, memories of past moments. Living in the present and fearlessly is my goal for the rest of the year. 2008 has not been anything like I expected. NOTHING like I expected and this is the first time I surrendered to not knowing what was going to happen in ever situation of my life so that I can experience everything I am suppose to. It is an adventure, exciting and ok not knowing. It is not the how that I am concerned with anymore. It is simply being in the now that interest me.

When ever I think about opportunities in my life, I think about dandelion seeds. Each one of those seeds represents an opportunity ready to be released and you have a chance to grab hold of the opportunity before it goes to someone else. I have missed an opportunity or two to do something or say something to someone. And, at the time, I did not know why I did not grab that opportunity and hold on to it with all there was in me. Looking back, I now see I was scared of what the person would say or that the situation would not come out quite like I thought it would.

I read somewhere recently that Fear is F alse E xperiences A ppearing R eal. When I think of it like that, I wish I would have taken a leap and said what was on my mind, grabbed that opportunity and not let it go. Too bad I could not be like I am now when I was in my twenties. My life would be very different. I am sure of that. Don’t get me wrong, my life does not suck. I don’t really have any major regrets, just a few missed opportunities.

Since I realize they are so fleeting, I jump on them now. Especially ones that present themselves at the most unexpected times. As a result, I am bolder than I used to be. I say what is on my mind, I make sure people know how I feel and I see an opportunity for what it is. A precious moment allowed to you usually once and sometimes a second time. What you do with it is up to you, but you have no one to blame when it goes out of your life again because you did not seize it.

You must be fearless, have faith and leap. In the end, all will be as it should.