Water under the Bridge

You are in charge of your dreams.  You have control over your destiny.  You make the future.  It's all about the choices that you make on any given day.  There are many factors which play a role in your choices but ultimately, the decision is made by you for you.

You decide what to eat, what to wear, where to work, who to marry or date, your level of education, whether to bear children, exercise or not, where to vacation and so many more choices.  Sometimes we feel these choices are made for us which are beyond our control. But in reality it is our own actions or lack of action which may have caused the chain reaction which ended in either favorable or unfavorable results. It's easier to cast blame upon someone or something else rather than be responsible for our own actions.  Yet, we are quick to accept the glory when everything falls into place nice and neat.

It is approaching the anniversary of my father's death and it often forces me to reflect on the choices I have made in my own life. I have made some very good choices, some not so good choices and some bad choices.  I didn't always like the results but ultimately knew that it had been my decision.  I think about this and my own  mortality because I feel my dad's life was cut short and he was unable to fully experience the fruits of his labor.  He died of lung cancer. He did not smoke.  Life is unfair. Life is not guaranteed.

So how is it possible that his choices affected his health and an untimely death?  I have no idea.  Was it karma for something else he did along the way?  Genetics? Environment?  I will never know as sometimes there isn't an answer, just more questions. 

So what's the point to living a good meaningful life if at the end of the day, the rug is ripped out from underneath you? Because... You fill in the blank. If you can't complete the sentence, then you need to take a step back and evaluate where you are at and how you got there.  More importantly, what are you going to do about it?

We know our life will end one day.  We don't know when or how but it will end.  People dislike talking of death because it forces them to face their own mortality.  We don't want to think about the 'what if's' and 'if only'.  This is why you must live the life you choose to live and want to live. It will end one day without your permission.  You may be old and ready to go or too young to be gone.  What will you leave behind? Memories, money, honor, pride, disappointment or a legacy?

Life is about choices. It's too short to be serious all the time, too short to screw off all of time, too short to blame, too short to feel sorry for yourself, too short to drink or smoke it away, too short to be lonely, and too short to be angry.  You are a mortal and not a super hero so live a life that makes you happy. Begin today because the rest is water under the bridge.