We all know on some level that life is precious and no one knows what tomorrow may bring. Even though there are events and circumstances like a global pandemic, that brings this concept into a heightened focus, how many of us LIVE this way? We can get caught up with the daily grind that it can escape our minds to truly think about the gift of time.

In my teens and early adulthood when many may feel invincible, I did not. This idea of limited time was ever-present in my mind: because my heart was slowly failing, then after receiving my heart transplant I was told that statically a heart only lasts a specific amount of time. Every time that I thought about this; the aspects of my life that I would miss most were the ordinary moments: hugging my mom, kissing my husband, being a bridesmaid at my friends’ wedding, getting to meet my niece and nephew, all of the unexpressed and not yet experienced milestone moments that I truly desired to have in this lifetime. 

These are all “ordinary” life experiences when looking at it from the vantage point of the possibility of an untimely death- I saw that the ordinary is extraordinary. This insight fostered me to constantly assess how I want to experience this adventure called life, and LIVE IT! 

As we are in this transitionary period with things coming back to “normal” but not quite- think about what you missed most while in lockdown in 2020, so that you can appreciate and incorporate these aspects more into your life NOW as you use these obstacles as opportunities to truly LIVE the life you desire.  You do not have to have a near-death experience to start to live your life as if tomorrow is not promised and to seize every opportunity to LIVE! Life is the greatest adventure! Pack up your shit (we all got some)–let’s go!.

Your adventure awaits, I encourage you to ask yourself:

• How do I really want to live? 
• What do I really want to be doing?
• Who do I really want to be around?