By Simon Ambit
In the world today, life can be extremely busy, hectic and downright consuming of our time. I can’t speak for you, but as for myself, I often find that I can get caught up in the routine of it all. We can go through our daily patterns, fretting over the to-do’s, putting of the should-be’s and checking off the got-done’s. All the while, focusing more on the things that seem to matter at the time rather than the manner in which we spend our time.
Occasionally as we drive down the roads of life, something happens that causes us to pull to the side of the shoulder, place the vehicle in park and just regroup. I recently had one of these in my life and it has caused me to pause and see things from a different viewpoint. You see, a good friend of mine had been having some varied health issues for a while and went in to have a few things checked out. Preliminary results showed that his kidneys were likely the cause and it was likely that he was going to need to have one of them removed. In the weeks that followed, more extensive testing was performed and cancer was found to be the culprit.
I went to his house following the “results” appointment to see what was determined as far as treatment was concerned. There I sat across the room from this mountain of a man and his dear sweet wife, waiting to hear what plan had been formulated. With tears in the corners of all eyes, I was told that he was given somewhere between two weeks and four months to live. With treatment, that time-frame would be extended by only a couple of months due to the extensive and aggressive nature of his particular cancer. As we tenderly spoke about the reality of the situation, my world seemed to get a little bit smaller as priorities changed inside of me and time went by just a bit slower as the moment outweighed the minutes.
We all know that passing on is a necessary step in our mortal existence, but never had I sat with anyone in his unique situation and it became a sacred experience for me. I found myself being comforted and strengthened by him to whom I should have been giving strength. He told me he knew that life goes on after death and that he was at peace and had no regrets. He had but one concern and that was for his wife physically having to do all the chores and for her emotional well-being in his passing. The two of them have such a strong bond and are never apart from one another. He told me that life goes by too fast and to take time for people and things that truly matter.
So, that is the guideline that I pass along this week. Slow down and enjoy this life, spend your time doing the best things with those you’re closest to and truly live each day. Life is good, let the moments matter!