Halfway home the exhaustion started setting in and I realized it would be very easy to nod off in the taxi. So, to keep myself awake, I began to think about how I would feel if this was the last day of my life - as you do!!!
The questions started piling on top of me like cheese on a pizza!!!
What have I done with my life? Has my life
amounted to anything? Did my life have a purpose? What have I spent my life focusing on? Did I get it right? Were my priorities OK or did I focus on the wrong things? Who would miss me? Who loved me,
whom did I love?
Now, I know that this is all a bit heavy for three in the morning, and I'm not sure where they came
from, but these questions really got my attention!!!
So I thought about my day. Would I regret today if it was my last? After a few moments I decided that
helping my friends sweat and toil in shifting and cleaning house was something I wouldn't regret. It
may have been a long and tiring day, but I did it because I loved them and didn't want to see them struggle. No, I wouldn't regret this day of my life!!!
Phew. What a relief!!!
I then remembered a conversation I had with an old
man in his 80's about life purposes one afternoon. In the conversation with this man in his 80's he narrated his life story, as I listened to him keenly. As he went on talking, I sensed that something was missing in all his talk of success and wealth; he didn't seem happy.
I asked him about his family; were they close by? Did he see them very often? It was then that he went very quiet. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just sat there and waited. Finally, with tears in his eyes, he turned to look at me and said that he didn't have one. He told me that with all of his success and wealth he had really screwed up his life.
For the next hour I sat and listened to this sad, lonely man confide that he had focused on the wrong priorities in his life. He had put money and success before family and friends; he had treated people poorly in business just to get ahead and now he regretted a lot of his life and wished he could go back and 'do it right'.
It was sad to see him go. I doubted that I would ever see him again and as I watched him depart from me into his car and been driven home, I wondered about the rest of his life and hope that somehow he would find peace and happiness.
Since that afternoon conversation with this old man, I have thought about him a number of times. But as I sat at the back of the taxi whiles waiting for the traffic light to change to green at 3:30am, his parting words seemed more significant than ever: 'Listen to an old man who knows - don't waste your life, focus on the right things'.
A couple of weeks after my early morning philosophising, I found myself listening to a very cool jazz band in a park on Sunday noon, with my friends. As my friends and I listened to the band with hundreds of other music lovers, I told them about my conversation with the old man and asked them what they thought. Most of them said that they agreed with him and said that people and relationships were the most important things in life.
As the afternoon wore on, I watched the people around me and wondered again about my priorities. Did I have them right? What did I give most of my time and energy to? Would I look back like my old man friend and regret my decisions? Would I be surrounded by things and not people?
As I looked around me, I again asked myself that question - if I was told that I would die in one hour, what would I feel about the day I had just lived? Would I regret not cleaning my house today? Maybe, but I think not. Would I regret being spellbound by beautiful music? I don't think so. Would I wish I hadn't laughed and talked my way through an afternoon with people I loved? No. If I was to die in one hour, the only thing I would regret is that I wouldn't have any more time with the people I love. I looked at each of my crazy funny friends 😊, I watched their faces, I listened to their voices and I smiled, knowing that today I had got things right!!!
If I told you that you would die in one hour, what would you feel about the day you had just lived 🤔?
©NathanaelAdams (Life Issues)
Credit: NASA Johnson
LA County Supervisor @HollyJMitchell and @LACoPublicWorks will inaugurate Interceptor 007 on October 22, when we hand over the keys to the operator.
#WhatGirlsWant #WhatWomenWant #FeministFuturesHIV #SRHR
Men and boys need to understand that violent behaviour is totally unacceptable and they need to speak up and act against it at all times.
*Hint* They start with a real diamond wafer as thin as a human hair.
Stream #HowitsMade on @discoveryplus. http://links.discoveryplus.com/howitsmade
[read more:
#FlyGeyser
https://t.co/YMCoPz32DP
Yet, girls and women continue to experience street harassment & other forms of public assault such as catcalling, wolf-whistling, honking, groping etc.
How can we ensure girls' and women's physical safety in public spaces?
Stop saying "it's okay" to stuff that's not okay to you.
Tell me 👇🏾
Are you ready to walk into your vision?
Share this with someone that needs it 💌
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#preparation #beprepared #purposeaboveall #scalingjoy #redefiningwealth #patricewashington
That’s the number of girls aged 10 to 19 years old around the world.
When equipped with the right resources and opportunities, girls can become the largest generation of female leaders.
The time to prioritize girls is NOW.
Spent years in a refugee camp.
Sought asylum in Sweden.
Represented his new country at Eurovision.
And recently inspired us all at the #NansenAward ceremony!
Thank you @tusseofc for including us in your incredible journey.
Thank you for speaking out on women’s health, safety, and well-being. 👏
Young people are calling for a new era, and some have found a new leader in @PeterObi.
[source, read more: https://t.co/qqKauUJnAV]
https://t.co/Sv7fNP4TyF
@drthema
Here we go again - renewal, rebirth, regeneration and restoration after the storm 🌬 💨