It Seems To Me… What would you do if you had one minute to live?

This is the last of the archival posts. My life has changed dramatically since this was written; I’m sure that my note would be quite different now. Perhaps I’ll do this exercise again soon.

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What is it about travelling that puts me into a retrospective mood? All that free time staring at clouds? Or perhaps it.s all those other people whizzing by whilst I wait oh-so-impatiently for my thrice delayed flight?Whatever it is, I like so many others made the pilgrimage back .home. for Christmas this year. And being that this is the busiest travel season of the year, I had plenty of time for retrospection. Now combine this retrospective mood with several hours in the smallest plane ever made, sitting about 4 inches from a Cuisinenart-like propeller and one.s mind begins to consider one.s mortality.People often ask “What would you do if you only had a month/year/day to live?”. Well, when your sitting in a coffin shaped machine with two sets of feverishly spinning knives next to your ear a day seems like a very long time. So I began to ponder; “What would I do if I had one minute to live?”.

I would leave a note. (Yes, I know. If the plane did crash the chances of a note surviving are pretty remote but work with me here people!) On the note I would say those things to those important people in my life that I never got around to or didn.t have the stones to tell them before that impossibly fast moving propeller spins off it.s shaft and we tumble to Earth like a broken kite. Here are a few of the things I came up with. I.ve replaced the names to protect them, and me. Don.t even try to guess cuz I ain.t gonna tell and none of them are on AOL.

Mom: I know you mean well, but quit asking about my love life will ya! 😉 I love you Mom
Dad: You.re the greatest man I.ve ever known or read about. Whenever I.m faced with a moral dilemma I just ask myself “What would Dad do?” and it becomes clear to me. I love you Dad.
Lucy: My first real love, nothing but the joy of that remains in my memory. I.m happy for your success, I always knew you had it in you.
Hillary: Nurture that spark I saw in your eyes. Within that spark is the light of childlike wonder that will bring you the happiness and spiritual understanding that you so richly deserve. I.m sorry I wasn.t the one to kindle that flame.
Dana: You are new in my life but already you have given me a great gift. That feeling of trust, of openness, the .connection. that I thought was gone forever from my life I feel with you. Thank You.
Fred & Ginger You have helped me through the most difficult times of my life, you are my family here. I love you both, I hope I can return the favor someday.

Ok, so that was way over a minute, but you get the idea. There are many others, including many of my friends on AOL. After much consideration I decided not to include any AOL folks in this column. We all know the ‘drama’ that this place can generate; something that none of us need any more of in our lives.

This isn’t really about mortality, it’s about living. It is about living one’s life communicating your true feelings; living without regrets, and living with an openness that embraces those closest to you. While I was considering this I cried some, I laughed some and I thought a great deal about those people that are important in my life. After all, isn.t that what this season; what all these plastic Santas, animated TV specials and Furbys are all about?

What would your note say?

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