Live Like I was Dying

It's just me!

No new pictures or videos for this post because we've been up to our eyeballs in normal day to day life. Kendra went out with friends on Saturday and played soccer both Sunday and Monday night. Daddy was "the man" of the hour doing full bath and bed time duties as well aswake duties so she can sleep in all by my lonesome. May not seem like a big deal for most, but I'm extremely proud of myself for taking care of the twins without a single bump or bruise or tantrum!

Easton is adding to his vocabulary daily and amazes us with words we can't figure out where he picked up. He also finally figured out what groovin' means and the highlight of my day was seeing Easton and Layla both nodding their head from side to side mimicking Kendra and I as we grooved to the music.

Layla has a bracelet she's been wearing recently and we refer to it as her "pretty" just like my sister does with her daughter. When we ask Layla, "where's your pretty?" she holds out her arm and points to the bracelet as she smiles.

Live Like I was Dying

My sister posed a question in a comment back on February 2nd and she asked this: How do you raise your kids differently if you have a 30 day mentality? What do you teach them about life to balance their perspective?

Her question came from my references to the One Month to Live challenge group I'm leading. I've been thinking and journaling often about her question and finally decided to respond and hopefully make some sense of my random notes and thoughts.

Loosen up - I have a tendency to get wound up (a.k.a. worried about) about problems and spend too much time fretting over details or things that don't really matter. The One Month to Live mentality drives me to ask the question, "will this problem or concern matter next week and if so, is this something I have the ability to change?" If not, then I move on and stop focusing on it. Most of the time the thing I'm so intently worried or upset about won't even matter in 5 minutes.

Focus on character - As much as I love to show and tell about the new, cool tricks Easton and Layla can do, what really matters is their character and who they are becoming. The One Month to Live mentality drives me to teach them by example. things like Kendra and I talking to each other more lovingly and using words that build each other up. Also showing how to have manners and a happy heart regarding eating and sharing toys, etc.

Spending time - If I truly only had One Month to live I would spend more time doing things that are important. I spend less time watching TV, surfing the internet, and reading Fortune magazine. I spend more time talking with Kendra, searching myself for areas in my spiritual life that need to be changed, and every spare second I can with the babies. I come home for lunch more because even though I only get 30 minutes of interaction with Eason and Layla and Kendra, that is better than 1 hour of time at lunch with coworkers.

The little things matter more - One of the most profound discoveries about myself during this One Month to Live challenge is finding out how much I don't cherish the little things. Through the video interviews in each lesson I've seen how much little things matter to those unfortunate individuals who honestly DO only have one month to live. Every one of them say their perspectives change and suddenly they notice the little things. The sunset I've seen a thousand times becomes beautiful. Running my hands through Kendra's hair seems special. Waking up each morning to the sounds of babies laughing and seeing Kendra's face is a gift I am thankful for.

Change - and i'm not talking about Obama and his promises. Everything about my life and surroundings and situation are exactly the same as before I took the One Month to Live challenge. The only thing different is me. I changed.

If you believe for one second people can't fundamentally change their character, then there is no hope. However, if you decide to accept the truth that there are areas of every person's life that can improve AND you decide to change yourself, then you have succeeded.

We never know how much time we have to pour into the lives of our children. It's some number between 1 more day and 18 years so I choose every single morning make better use of that day.

The two questions I have for you is:

1. How would you live differently if you knew you only have one month to live?
2. What are the barriers that keep you from living that way?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!