“Don’t be afraid your life will end…be afraid that it will never begin.” ~Grace Hansen

When we are born, we come into the world, curious about EVERYTHING. We experience life with senses ablaze, checking our surroundings out ceaselessly. That is, until we are told “Don’t touch.” and little by little, some of us shut down our sensory apparatus until our zest for exploration is squelched. To be fair, there are acceptable standards of behavior in which boundaries need to be respected. Heck, at 53, I still walk into stores in which there are breakable objects and my hands immediately go behind my back, as my mother had instructed me to do when I was young. In those cases, she would say kindly, “Look, but don’t touch.”, but it wouldn’t extend to other areas, such as nature, books, art supplies….  Fortunately, my curiosity was nurtured and not smooshed.

In my counseling practice over the years, I have encountered many who feel that their lives have not begun and never will, or whose joy got sidetracked by abuse, trauma or loss. Outside influences had taken over their inner explorer, usurping his or her power to create the lives of their dreams and desires. It is then, perhaps that the spiral toward death, dying a little more every day, began. Perhaps that’s even when the thought of ending their lives came into play. Although I have never entertained suicidal thoughts; they have never even come knocking, I have heard from some people that the times when they are most likely to consider that as an option, are when they feel powerless over circumstances.

And then there are folks who are facing life challenging illnesses who are unable or unwilling to express their feelings about end of life eventualities. My take on this life-death continuum is that the more open we are to exploring our perceptions, the less threatening it will feel. Denial won’t prevent that day from arriving that we cross over to whatever awaits. For me, it makes the experience all the more precious and the people in my life, that much more treasured. I am open to dialogue on death as a result, not in a morbid manner, but one that celebrates life.

Each day, I create my life anew, with intention to experience wonder, to encounter amazing people and have extraordinary experiences. As I open my eyes to the new morning, along with them, I open my mind to fresh ideas and my heart to abundant love, so that on the day my heart stops beating out life rhythm, I can acknowlege a life well lived.

Time of Your Life
Another turning point; a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist; directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test and don’t ask why.
It’s not a question but a lesson learned in time.
It’s something unpredictable but in the end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf In good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it’s worth, it was worth all the while.
It’s something unpredictable but in the end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.
(music break)
It’s something unpredictable but in the end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.
It’s something unpredictable but in the end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.

http://youtu.be/1PK2R0IwCiY Time of Your Life by Green Day