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Wednesday 24 October 2012

Life, what it truly means to us……and how short it can be!

By M.Govender

To begin with, life and death, well at least the death part is not something we like to think or talk about, but like it or not, it is the one thing that we can be certain of. Whether today, tomorrow or a few years down the line, it will happen.

This piece is not meant to get you down and depress you, but hopefully help you realize the value and importance of life, especially of those that are near and dear to you. And with that realization, help you to make every single second, minute, hour and day count. Death comes knocking on our door, when we least expect it, without warning and then it’s too late, to do anything, for no matter how much your heart wants that person back, to take another breath. You miss that person so much that you wish your sheer desperation to have them back would will them back to life. Your mind plays through so many should haves, could haves and moments that you slipped through your fingers as easily as water running through them, and then it is too late!

There are many of our loved ones, including some of you who may read this, with medical conditions, as just one example, where doctors give us the expectancy of how much time we have left on the beautiful planet. These circumstances are not those where I would encourage you to fight to stay alive and healthy, despite what the doctor’s say. These are those heartbreaking moments, where, despite all positivity we humans are truly capable of, you just know that there is no hope. And in these circumstances, we at least have some time to take it in and try and prepare ourselves to make the best of what little time we have left. This is not an ideal situation, but to me, it sure beats going to work in the morning and half way through the day, getting that dreaded call….

There are many who don’t even have the opportunity to say good bye and you are then left with all the things you needed to say and so desperately wanted your loved one to know.
So how do we make the most of a really raw deal? And more importantly, how do we not leave it until it is that late, so how do we live, love and make every breath count? Wear that dress you have been saving for a special outing, use the fine china that you have been saving for a momentous occasion, for what better occasion can there be, but NOW. Well there is something to think about, do what you have always been meaning to do, and the greatest thing you can do is stop putting things off. Why do we put things off?

I believe it’s because we take for granted that tomorrow will be there. Well, tomorrow is not guaranteed, so make it happen today. Stop letting the excuse of life is hectic; I am too busy, work is too important to truly be alive. Family, your kids, siblings, parents. That is what is important. Start realizing this now, before it is too late, because once death visits, you will never and I mean NEVER get a second chance. I urge you to try this, without any expectation or warning, go and thank those that are near and dear to you, and thank them from the bottom of your heart, be sincere and tell them that you are grateful for their existence, and that you love them, truly love them. This is the greatest gift you can give them. We assume it is known and hey, it probably is, but the impact of those words as a reminder is so gratifying for both, that it without question and without a doubt fills one’s heart with so much love, that everything seems possible and the person is instantly invigorated, so too are you. The spontaneity of it all just adds to that in leaps and bounds…what have you got to loose.

I am speaking from experience, and me sharing this with you is for you to acknowledge the importance of every opportunity in your life that you need to take hold of and to help you see more clearly – The Value of the Life of a Loved One and more importantly, the value of… TIME.  

So learn from the experiences of those who cross your path in this life. We are human and I truly believe that we don’t live long enough to make all the mistakes and learn from them, so let us start learning from each other’s experiences.

So, what are you waiting for……


MG…