Life is for the Living

Don't you cry for lost, 

Smile for the living, 

Get what need and give what you're given.

Life's for the living, so live it

Or you're better of dead. 

Mike Rosenberg

It's a true enough saying that if you wait for someone else to make you happy that you will always be miserable. I feel like this rings true for me. Last week I wrote about how I had been a bit of a moaner lately. It's not that I'm imagining it, things have crappy and it can bring you down. However, I think that sometimes we get bogged down in the future worries and the past regrets to the point that we fail to enjoy and live in the moment. 

I have been practising yoga over the past few months which I am enjoying immensely. One of the aspects that I like about yoga is the concept of being in the moment. It must be an enlightening experience to be able to 'just be'. I find during meditation that my mind wanders. It fluctuates between what has gone, the endless replaying of the day and the what is still to be, the worries and anxieties of things that haven't even happened yet. I aspire towards the quiet mind that can focus on the here and now.

I spend a great proportion of my time dwelling on things. I'm a big thinker. I mull things over and churn them around in my mind until they are mush. I guess maybe I should try to think less. I expend a lot of energy thinking and planning and not a great deal of my time or energy in the actual 'doing' phase. I guess you could say I procrastinate. I would like to change this about myself. 

I don't want to spend time dwelling over the losses. I want to appreciate the joy in what I have. I don't just want to have ideas and think things through I want to seize the moment and actually follow through. I do not want to depend on or look to others to fulfil me or make me happy. I'm trying to be more present. YOLO and all that jazz. 

Tragedy

Tragic  

Adjective Causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow. Suffering extreme distress or sorrow.

It's been a hell of a year. So many people who should be here that are sadly no longer with us.

You here people saying 'it was so sudden' or 'we knew it was coming, but it's still a shock'. I don't think it matters whether you saw it coming or not, it's still tragic. One thing that has struck me this year is the tragic circumstances surrounding the passing of people in our lives. Within our family and friends there have been 10 deaths this year and 2 losses of grandparents to Alzheimer's. Some haven't left the womb, some have been babies/toddlers, some elderly leaving behind great grandchildren, some parents who have left behind young children, some with their whole lives ahead of them. What they all have in common is the feeling of extreme distress and sorrow their passing has brought.

I know for me personally, all the people who have passed have left behind a living legacy in way of a life lesson. I take these lessons from the way these people have lived their lives as well as the immediacy and harshness of their passing.

Live for the moment,
Cherish the time you have,
Hold your loved ones closer,
Forgive others and yourself for mistakes that are unimportant in the the grand scheme of life,
Take responsibility for your own happiness,
Don't become bogged down in the daily grind,
Take stock of all the riches you have in your life,
Tell and show your loved ones how loved they are,
Don't put things off for next week/month/year - achieve your dreams,
Be the change you want to see in the world,
Treat others the way you would want to be treated,
Give others compassion and don't be judgemental,
Be so very grateful,
Start living now because the reality is that you might be not here next new year to make the same resolutions again.

This post was inspired by Kerry (Multiple Mummy), Kelly and her babies, Mary,babies taken by angels x3, Baby Scott, Darren, Davie,Caden, Dy and Gran Thea,
xox