I listen to a very wide variety of music. I have a lot of songs on my phone and while I am at work, I will usually just shuffle my whole collection. Today, a song came on that I haven’t heard in a long time: 100 Years by Five for Fighting. This song almost always creates an emotional response for me. The manifestation of that response varies slightly, but it usually falls somewhere in the neighborhood of either depression, nostalgia, or resolve. I have a general appreciation for my life thus far; I love living. This is the only life I have and one day it will be over. Now, I hope that day will be far, far in the future, but there are, of course, no guarantees that will be the case. Even so, if I reach a ripe old age, say I make it to 100, will I be any more content with having lived so long? In some ways, I think it will all depend on whether or not I make the most of my remaining time. I once read a wonderful article by Mike Celizic relaying his last days living. I want to enjoy life so thoroughly that I too am able to say, “I’ve lived very well; had a grand and glorious life. I’ve done everything I’ve ever wanted to do… I’m not afraid to die. But I don’t want to die, and there’s the problem. I love life, love this glorious planet, love simple pleasures, love living.” I think that’s just about as much as you can ask from life.
Several of my friends at work occasionally talk about their Bucket Lists (a list of things to do before you “kick the bucket”). My first reaction to hearing about this idea was negative; I think my sentiment stems from the fact that most people got this idea from the movie, and I have a tendency to be hostile toward fads. This isn’t always fair, but it is the truth nonetheless. I must admit, in this instance, the hype may be well-placed. There is something reassuring about having a set list of goals to accomplish in our relatively short time alive. I would like to know that I accomplished as much as I possibly could, but I don’t see that I am actively participating in that idea. Perhaps I, too, should create some type of list. I do not know what I would put on that list, but I may try to spend some time thinking about it. It seems worth some amount of time to invest in planning the rest of my future.
Lastly, a quote attributed to Mark Twain seems appropriate, “I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit.”
