Showing posts with label Leap Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leap Day. Show all posts

3.01.2012

Leap Day, Part Deux

Yesterday was a unique day. February 29th only rears its head every four years, but now it's come and gone.

In honor of Leap Day, we speculated. We dreamed. We imagined what it would be like to have an extra day to live.

Most of the answers were simple. None of them were extravagant (like buying a sports car and racing it in the country). I think that our Leap Day exercise is more than speculation, though. It seems to reveal something about us.

When we imagine what we would do with our last day alive, we often reveal that which we value the most.

So, for most of you, it seems, family trumps all. Most likely, I'd fall under this category as well. I can't imagine a better way to spend my last day alive than with those who have invested in me from day one.

What, though, does this mean for us practically? As far as I know, there hasn't been a scientist yet that could predict the exact day of a person's death (though some websites try), at least not with any sort of consistency.

And I know for sure that nobody has the technology to give a person an extra day to live. So what do we make of this? Is this exercise helpful beyond stretching our imaginations? Well, I'd like to think it is.

You see, from my perspective, every day is a gift. I've always been sick and I always will be sick. I've never had a shortened life expectancy placed upon me, but there have been days when, in sickness, I feel lucky to be alive.

It's like every single day that I wake up is an extra day to live. Every day that I get to enjoy is one day longer than I'm promised that I'll live. After all, I'm not promised tomorrow by anyone or anything. Tomorrow hasn't yet happened, and there's no guarantee that it will.

But today... Today is here. Today is now. Today is happening, and it's another day beyond what we've been promised. It's almost as if we've been given an extra day to live (even if it doesn't seem that way).

So reflect on your Leap Day exercise and then remember: you've been given that extra day. What did you say you were going to do with it? What's keeping you from that? If we were in our "extra day" scenario, would you let work or school or stress stop you from doing what you want to do most with your last day alive?

Take today seriously, friends. It's all we've been promised. It's a gift we've been given. We can leave it sitting, wrapped neatly, and wondering what it holds. Or we can tear it open like a 5 year old on their birthday.

Yesterday has passed  and will never be again. Tomorrow may never come. But today? Today is happening right as we speak. Make the most of it while you still can.

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Questions: What might keep you from doing what you enjoy most today? How can you get around these obstacles to enjoy today fully?

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I'd appreciate you subscribing to Life Before the Bucket and sharing it with your friends. Thanks a million for reading! 

image credit: yunior - sxc.hu

2.29.2012

Leap Day

Another heads up: We still want you to write a guest post for us!  Check out this post for more information and then shoot me an e-mail with your ideas!

So I hear today is Leap Day.

Are you doing anything special to celebrate the "extra" 24 hours?

Or will today be like every other Leap Day you've experienced, sentenced to mediocrity and forgetfulness?

I, for one, want today to be unforgettable. After all, it's not every day that you get an "extra" day to live.

Of course, we all know that today isn't really a bonus day of our lives at all. Leap Day doesn't magically give us an extra 24 hours every 4 years to add to our lives. It's always been there - we just haven't taken advantage of it.

But let's imagine for just a moment...

What if we were given an extra day to live?

Would you spend your extra day partying?
Let's say that God (or science, or whatever) tells us exactly the number the days we have left to live. And the source telling us this is correct 100% of the time. But then... surprise! You get an extra day tacked on the end!

That would be a great feeling, wouldn't it? To know you get an extra 24 hours to enjoy all that you'll miss when you're time is up. What a reward!

So here's my question for you: what would you do with your extra day? 

If you were really given an extra day to live (and not just a fake one, like Leap Day), how would you spend it?

Would you... test drive your favorite car? Loot your favorite store? Fly to a resort to enjoy your last day?

Or would you spend time with your family? Reconcile a broken relationship? Confess your unspoken love for someone?

You're free as a bird - but with one stipulation. Unlike most exercises similar to this one, money is an object. You'd have as much as you'd expect yourself to have made by the end of your life.

Feel free to be creative and think outside of the box on this one. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

... ... ...

Questions: If you were given 24 extra hours to live, how would you spend it and why? Why would you choose that way over another?

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I'd appreciate you subscribing to Life Before the Bucket and sharing it with your friends. Thanks a million for reading! 
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