HOW ARE YOU LIVING YOUR DASH?
When you die, there will be two dates on your tombstone, the date you were born and the date you died. What matters the most is not the dates. What matters most is the dash between those two dates.
You see, that dash represents your life. It is all the days you lived here on earth. Your dash is the story of your life. It is how you lived and loved from the beginning of your life to the end of your life.
We all should appreciate the simple things that bring us happiness and joy. Often those simple things are right in front of us. The laugh of our children or grandchildren when you take them fishing, holding hands with our spouse, time spent with friends out crappie fishing, or sitting alone around a campfire watching the flames dance and flicker.
Sometimes we forget to be grateful for what we have in life. Our family, our friends, our health, and the great outdoors that God created for all of us to enjoy. Make a list of the many things in your life you are thankful for. Make another list of the things you have wanted to do but never did. Find the time to do them so you can check them off your list.
Cherish every minute with your loved ones, be kind to others, and give back when you can. That can be with money to help those in need, advice to your kids, or taking someone with you and teaching them how to catch crappie.
We often measure success by how much we have. Too much of our life is spent trying to get those things. That is not what matters in the end. You cannot take those things with you. Your dash is about your experiences, relationships, and feelings. It is not about what you own. Make lots of memories that will add to your dash.
The simple things in life are the best. We only have a certain number of beautiful sunrises and awesome sunsets. The unfortunate part is not knowing how many of them we have left. Live every day like it could be your last. We never know when that final day will come. Live, love, and make the most of your dash.
As the last line says in the famous poem, The Dash, by Linda Ellis ~ “So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?”
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
The man is a success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it, who never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson, Poet and Novelist
