Tomorrow?
I would guess that all of us have heard the phase: “live each day like it was your last.” Not to be a contrarian, deep from my heart I do not agree with that statement. It would seem to me that it could lead to a philosophy of a carefree life, a life of contemplation (the life’s movie rewind), a life of greed (who would care, I’m not here tomorrow), and most importantly, a life of lost hope. I find many of my patients (over 50) love to use the phrase: “why would I do that at my age!” In translation: why would they take care of their health or in my case, their dentition. I find it sad when patients say that to me, and invariably I say back to them; “First you have to decide if you are going to live or die. If you plan on living, then take care of yourself….even if you don’t plan to live, you will never regret that you did take care of yourself when you are gone.” It sounds crass, but it’s true!
So, I prefer the statement: “Live each day like you will be here tomorrow.” In other words, never stop living. I think it is important to realize that we have a choice on how we want to live each day of our lives. Now of course, it is foolish to feel we have total control, as stuff does happen, but in reality, life is ours to seize or to let pass by depending on our choices. So that my friends, is truly the beginning of any discussion we can have about living life. How do you choose to live each day? This will be the beginning point of our journey together, as we do need to start with ourselves before we can address the world around us. As for myself, I was so focused on the world around me, that to some degree over time, I lost my voice and it has been my work to rediscover it. So take some quiet time, think about where you are in life, your wants, and desires, what’s missing, where at this moment of time do you fit into your surroundings, and where is your voice. Remember, you will be here tomorrow!
