On Owning Every Second



I have been really loving the OneRepublic song, "I Lived." If you haven't heard the song or seen the video, check it out.

The video highlights a boy with cystic fibrosis. Despite having to fight to breathe, this boy is determined to live his life to the fullest and to do everything he wants to do.
 
The boy's story is inspiring, as is the song, even without the boy's story attached.

This song has motivated quite a bit of personal reflection: on my own life, and on my hopes for my children.

The line that has been seriously stuck in my head is "I've owned every second that this world could give..."  Have I? Probably not every second, but no one is perfect.

In the past, this was less important. It is easy to get caught up in the habit of life - the ritual of the mundane. Recent experiences have opened my eyes.  In the past, I have taken things for granted, from how I have let days pass me by without really being present, to how my behavior impacts my children.

Moving forward, my intention will be to leave it all on the field, especially in the important areas of life - family, friends, work. I've never been the type of person to half-ass anything I deem worth doing, but perhaps I could also focus more on the little things - the things that I know I would regret no longer be able to do.
 
A life filled with experiences is a much better life than one just filled with stuff. Interestingly, while I tend to be cautious by nature, I refuse to live my life hampered by fear. While it is unlikely that I will act without considering the consequences, I will practice what I tell my children when they are faced with something that causes them fear - know what you are getting into, take a deep breath, put on your brave face, and do it anyway, even if you're scared.

And for my children? Well, I want them to live their lives owning every second. Unfortunately, this isn't something you can teach in any other way than by example. So, I shall be that example. I will show them how full my life is because I own every second and I will demonstrate that it is okay to be afraid and to do it anyway. I frequently share with them times that I am afraid, and I share with them my response to my fear - that I put on my brave face and do it anyway.

I want my children to be able to look back and to say about me and about themselves "...with every broken bone, I swear, I lived." I want to know that I put my heart and soul into everything that matters. I want my children to know that I have, and I want them to do the same.

And what about you? Are you owning every second? Is your life filled with experiences that make it full. Are you putting your heart and soul into what matters. If not, listen to that song. You might just start thinking about your own life a little differently.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On The Hardest Thing Ever

This is hard. I mean really really hard. I am not generally afraid to do hard things. In fact, I've done a lot of really hard things, Hard makes me stronger. Hard builds my character. Hard allows me to understand others. So hard, isn't something that bothers me - at least when it's something hard for myself. It's a different story when the hard thing has to do with my child.  I am not totally sure why I am writing about this. Maybe it is partially because I currently cannot think of anything else and maybe, if I write it down, it will free my brain and give it some release. Or, perhaps it is a little bit because I know I can't be the only parent who has ever dealt with this, and so my sharing might help someone else.  The stigma of mental illness looms heavily. I find it absurd that we, as a culture, can completely accept someone having a physical illness, yet cannot fathom accepting the illnesses we cannot see. So many individuals suffering from mental il
Read more

On Love and Loss

Image
"I used to think time was a thief. But you give before you take. Time is a gift. Every minute. Every second." - Alice Kingsleigh, Through the Looking Glass I think love is a lot like time.   Love is joy. It is happiness and light. It is gratitude and wonder. It is warmth and hope. It is living. And, love is pain. It is sorrow and darkness. It is fear and anger. It is cold and sad. It is death. Love is such that you cannot have one without the other - two sides of the same coin.  Although I know my NanNan, is finally at peace and I am grateful that she is no longer suffering, there is still a hole in my heart. The hole is there because of the love. It is there because of the forty years of memories I made with her presence. It is there because I loved her and because she loved me. Love is joy and love is pain.  Despite the sorrow I now feel, I will not give back the happy memories: of standing by her sink in a Bugs Bunny costume, stealing the carr
Read more

On The Family I Picked

When I was 15 months old, I was given a powerful message: blood relation is not the only family that matters. When I was 15 months old, my dad picked me (and my mom). Technically that makes him my step-father, but he is my dad through and through. He wasn't the only one who picked me and became my family, though. His parents became my grandparents; his brothers and sisters became my uncles and aunts. Never once have I ever felt anything other than a great sense of belonging. I am theirs and they are mine. So, it has been with this message, deep in my heart and on the surface of all that I do, that I journey through life picking people to add to my family. It is with this message, that I hope to provide my children a roadmap to forming their own families.  And what an amazing family I have - it is wide-spread; it is diverse; it is filled with love.  This family of mine has loved and supported me in my darkest times and in my happiest of moments. I am secure in th
Read more