live, then die

[thedancer]

I'm thinking a lot, maybe too much, on the future nowadays. i'm thinking that i want my life to be worthy, that i can't die before i know that i've seen enough, done enough, known enough people, loved enogh, experienced enough, enough, enough to lay my head on the pillow with a smile in my eyes. (or my head on some killer's chest, or wherever i'm going to die)

He, i came to think of "i haven't seen barbados..." there's always a fitting toriline...

What are your lives, what will make your life worthy?
I

[MrLight]

Life's a bitch and then you die... there is no second chance, so make the best out of what you got, and go out with a smile on your lips!

[DaturaFae]

What a tough question.
I scare myself alot by thinking of these things. I'm always afraid that time is slipping through my hands and that I've missed out on all of my opportunities.

"Feeling old by 21..." is probably the Tori line that is most appropriate for me right now.

What is most important in my live is love. Someone to love completely and to love me in return. Thankfully, that is the one thing that I've found. My boyfriend and I have been together for almost 5 years, and I know that we will always be together.

I would like to say that my relationship with him is what makes my life worthy, but somehow I feel like I still need so much more (in regards to myself).

I want to be successful. Not in regards to money, but to be recognized as accomplished in whatever career I can finally get my hands on.

I want to get back on the stage. I miss performing.

I want to know eveything. I want to learn as much as I can about everything that interests me.

Hehe... maybe I want too much!

[♥Mary♥]

dancer,
this is a great topic & makes me think of a popular poem called "Living Your Dash"....

How Are You Living Your Dash?

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the DASH between those years. (1910 - 1980)

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars...the house...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile...
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your DASH?

(-unknown)


*************************

I actually have a list that I've been compiling in my journal for quite a long time now of all the things I want to accomplish/try/do/create before my time here on Earth ends.

But the bottom line is that when i'm done, I'd like to look back & say that I cared more about the smiles on my childrens' faces than the kind of car we drove.....
that I made a difference in someone else's life....
that I was a good friend....
that I was not afraid to face the things that scared me and stepped out on faith when necessary....
that I loved unconditionally...
that I was generous with my time, my heart, my creativity and my patience....
and that I lived life with GUSTO and GRATITUDE.

those things are my Dash-in-progress, if you will! I work on them everyday.

[DaturaFae]

BumbleBee-
I've never seen that poem before, but I really like it. Kinda puts things into perspective, but with encouragement rather than a depressing story (though they also have their time and place).

Thanks for sharing it!

[♥Mary♥]

Thanks, DaturaFae!

LOL, I just saw Mr. Light's post.....profound & to the point, eh?!

[veela]

This is actually something I've been thinking alot about lately. I'm kind of at a crossroads and my boyfriend and I are trying to mesh our futures and I know I want to go to grad school but what for? And I want to travel, and I don't really know what I'm doing...

I think that the people in my life are by far the most important and as long as I have them around not much else matters. But I also want to see the world, have fun and enjoy my life and then later pass on all my wisdom to my kids...

What else is there really besides love and happiness?

[Angie812]

wow, what a profound question...
Before the end of my life...i want to do so much ;D
Travel all over the world. (especiall britian, italy, norway, and back to japan)
go to grad school.
find a love that will keep me happy to the end of my days or someone that will make me smile ;D and luv me for me.
Id like to leave newark and see the sun set from another place.
Id like to have a child who i can pass down all the knowledge and love i have experienced in this lifetime.
I would like to have a place to call my own even if it is a run down lil shack filled with luv
I want to be able to leave something to the community that i came from and know ill never forget them.

so much to do ;D

::::hugz:::::

[lilyella]

hmmm....this question fits eerily into my mindframe last night and this morning....

i just watched "Life, or Something Like It" last night with my finace, and it left us talking for hours about what we would do if we had absolute, 100% proof that we would die in exactly 4 months (down to the hour, min, sec.!)
we just kept rambling on and on about all the things we would do - they included going around the world and revisiting places we've been in the U.S. and Europe, sky-diving, reading, buying tons of amazing things (like horses for me, ATV's for Jae, a tropical island, and even "buying" Tori for a day to give me a private concert!!!)....
I think we covered every single aspect of our lives that we've ever wanted to do, have, see, or touch....

But the one thing we kept going back to was marriage.
The very first thing we both said at the same time was - "I'd marry you tomorrow". We then decided that we'd get married over and over again, renewing our vows every single day wherever we ended up... every place we desired to see, everything we wanted to buy for our friends and family and each other was chosen with love....it was an amazing talk, but not uncommon for us. He is my best friend, my everything. It seems strange to our friends that we call one another "Hubby" and "Wifey" when we're not married yet, but we've been together for so long, and have lived together for so long, and have spent every second of every day for years joined at the hip - that we consider our selves very much husband and wife. The only thing missing is our great desire to have a meaningful ceremony with our families and close friends.

Does this make any sense? or have I once again just rambled for no reason?

I guess....my life is full of love for my precious family and friends and my Jared. Love is what makes my life worthy. It is all that I have in life that will follow me and linger after I'm gone.

with that said,
*love to all*
~lilyella~

you know...i think a plan has just been formed....

[Oisín]

thedancer said:

I came to think of "i haven't seen barbados..."

I've Seen It All - Björk and Thom Yorke

Björk<br>I've seen it all, I have seen the trees
I have seen the willow leaves dancing in the breeze

Yorke
I've seen a man killed by his best friend,
And lives that were over before they were spent.

Björk & Yorke
I've seen what I was and I know what I'll be
I've seen it all, there is no more to see

Björk<br>You haven't seen elephants, Kings or Peru

Yorke
I'm happy to say I've had better to do
What about China? Have you seen the Great Wall?

Björk<br>All walls are great if the roof doesn't fall
And the man you will marry, the home you will share

Björk<br>To be honest, I really don't care

Yorke
You've never been to Niagara Falls

Björk<br>I have seen water - it's water, that's all

Yorke
The Eiffel Tower, The Empire State

Björk<br>My pulse was as high on my very first date

Yorke
And your grandson's hand as he plays with your hair

Björk<br>To be honest, I really don't care

Björk & Yorke
I've seen it all, I've seen the dark
I've seen the brightness in one little spark
I've seen what I chose and I've seen what I need
And that is enough, to want more would be greed
I've seen what I was and I know what I'll be
I've seen it all, there is no more to see

Yorke
You've seen it all and all you have seen
You can always review on your own little screen
The light and the dark, the big and the small
Just keep in mind, you need no more at all

Björk & Yorke
You've seen what you were and know what you'll be
You've seen it all, there is no more to see

[sweetsangria]

God, I love that song. And I love that movie. (shivers) Very appropriate for this thread, I think. Sometimes I get stressed out because I feel like I should do this and do that, and have a family and a great career and travel around the world and experiance everything. And think it's great to strive for great things, but I also try to appreciate the here and now. I think the whole concept of Buddism, to become mindful of all the tiny things and seeing the beauty in them, is a great way to live. That way, if for some reason you never leave your front yard you still feel like you've seen the world.

[♥Mary♥]

sweetsangria said:

I think the whole concept of Buddism, to become mindful of all the tiny things and seeing the beauty in them, is a great way to live. That way, if for some reason you never leave your front yard you still feel like you've seen the world.

ss,
that's beautiful!

[undeniabledilemma]

lilyella said:

We then decided that we'd get married over and over again, renewing our vows every single day wherever we ended up... every place we desired to see, everything we wanted to buy for our friends and family and each other was chosen with love....it was an amazing talk, but not uncommon for us. He is my best friend, my everything.

That is so romantic!! Renewing your vows everyday, how sweet

I basically have my whole future planned out, but since it would take entire too long to type out and is pretty unrealistic since it involves like 4 different careers I'm not going to type it here.

I'd madly in love with history, especially ancient Egypt. I'd love to be a archaeologist or an Egyptologist. As long as I get to see Egypt in this life I'll be happy though. I also want to be a private detective (how cool would that be?!) or in the FBI. Journalism, too...

I do want to have money. Whenever I say that people always take it the wrong way, but I do want money. I want to be able to travel and buy things and not worry about it all.

I'm moving to London. I've spent a lot of time there and I love it in London. Though it is mad expensive, so maybe I'll live in the countryside.

And of course there has to be a guy..

[♥Mary♥]

undeniable~

Money offers choices. There is nothing wrong with that!

[Oisín]

undeniabledilemma said:

I'd madly in love with history, especially ancient Egypt. I'd love to be a archaeologist or an Egyptologist. As long as I get to see Egypt in this life I'll be happy though.

Well, why don't you just move up here, then? You could study right next to me; about 100 ft from where I study is the Carsten Niebuhr Institute where they all study Egyptology and such things - it's said to be one of the best in Europe, too! ;D

[Daemeon]

Well I guess I can agree with you dancer that I want to see it all before I die. I do have that adventure side to myself. I guess I want to make my mark in history in a positive way. Personally, the "just settle down someday" never was my thing, I guess I'm weird.

[undeniabledilemma]

Oisín said:

Well, why don't you just move up here, then? You could study right next to me; about 100 ft from where I study is the Carsten Niebuhr Institute where they all study Egyptology and such things - it's said to be one of the best in Europe, too! ;D

You're in Denmark, right? I've heard of that place, actually. mm..Egypt...

[Oisín]

undeniabledilemma said:

You're in Denmark, right? I've heard of that place, actually. mm..Egypt...

You've heard of which place? Denmark or The Carsten Niebuhr Institute?

[undeniabledilemma]

lol I've heard of both. I was talking about the Institute though. They did this thing on it on the Discovery: Civilizations channel a few months ago.

[Oisín]

Hehe... Until I started studying at KU (University of Copenhagen), I hadn't even heard of CNU... *blushes*