Death Serves As A Reminder…Again

This post is a little bit of a break from the unimportant world of food and wine.

A couple months back I found out that someone I knew passed away. It hit pretty hard because it was unexpected to me but evidently he had been having some health issues. I didn’t know him extremely well but I knew him and his partner fairly well and respected them a lot. They were actually LIVING their life…like many of us often forget to do. John was a good guy and he will be missed.

Last night I found out another man, coincidently named John as well, passed away a couple of weeks ago. We knew John and his wife for some time and had grown very fond of them. An older couple but they too were actually LIVING their life. They were living a life of adventure and were extremely active. His death was apparently due to some freak accident so again, unexpected.

I don’t bring either of these stories up to be a downer on Friday. Instead I bring these things up because it leads me to a question…what the %&#$ are we doing?

It’s cute that we all make excuses about why we have to do certain things…I have bills to pay, I don’t have time, or I can’t; but if any of us think that there’s plenty of time or I’ll do it someday, we are living in a fairytale. If you think having a fancy house or Mercedes or $150.00 jeans is the way to go…I ask you this: When I mentioned to the two men above that passed away, what did I mention?

I mentioned that they LIVED life. I mentioned that they were good people. They both were doing pretty well to really well financially but I didn’t mention that. I didn’t mention the kind of cars they owned or the brand of jeans they wore.

I’m not necessarily frustrated but I’m disappointed in myself. I’m disappointed that I waste even one second worrying about money, the car I own, or what other people will think of the clothes I wear. I’m disappointed because every second that I do that I am letting myself down as well as my full potential. More importantly I’m letting my wife, my son, and those people in my life that I care about down.

For those that sit there and choose to ignore this message, that’s fine…I’m not necessarily talking to you. If you’re content with a life where things are more important than people than please, continue on. If you’re content with making excuses for why things can’t be better then please, move on with your day. If you don’t think it’s worth it to get over yourself and stop getting stuck in the ruts of negativity then please, carry on.

This is about creating a “whatever it takes” attitude.

Do whatever it takes to get the stress out of your life.

Do whatever it takes to laugh more and be pissed off less.

Do whatever it takes to live up to that potential that you don’t believe you have.

Do whatever it takes to appreciate the people in your life.

Do whatever it takes to put people over money, bills, and things.

Do whatever it takes to live up to and beyond what you think is possible.

Do whatever it takes to LIVE this life.

I don’t know what the answer is. I don’t know why it takes death or catastrophic events for us to “remember” how amazing and fragile this life is. I’m not really sad for those two men that died…I’m sad I won’t ever see them or chat with them again, but no, I’m not sad for them. Here’s why, they lived the way you’re supposed to. They adventured and really LIVED. They LIVED enough to have me write this and have the feelings I’m having. What that means is that in some way they touched me enough to make an impact.

What are you doing to make an impact?

Again, this isn’t about raining on your parade today. It’s about two awesome guys that LIVED great lives and it’s also a plea from me to you…LIVE. As long as you’re breathing there is time…LIVE. Make an impact. Make a difference. Adventure. Cheers to John and John, thanks for reminding me how amazing life is and how magical people are.