Life is too short. It’s an expression we hear often. It hit home this week. The passing of Liz, my wife’s mother, stole – from Liz herself, from Anne-Marie, from our kids and from all of her loved one – years of happiness.
Shattered dreams. What should have been a great summer – a great year – stained forever. Lives changed irrevocably. Those words – what should have been – but wasn’t. It’s a lesson I don’t want to forget. You cannot bank the future – only the present moment. We all pass away at some stage. And when Liz passed, I’m sure it was with memories banked during her time with all of us – and not with thoughts of what might have been.
When we pass from this physical life, none of us wants to have regrets.
Here are 12 things I won’t regret…
- Being enough – being happy with who I am
- Showing up and living in the moment
- Having fun along the way
- Loving my family enough
- Valuing my friendships
- Doing things that mean something to me and others
- Being over doing
- Contributing to the people and the world around me
- Being adventurous, trying new things and places
- Being curious to always learn
- Looking after myself – mind, body and soul
- Deciding what matters and discarding the rest
I remember these using the acronym MARCH – Meaning, Awe, Relationships, Contribution and Health. In memory of Liz, I will march forward – one foot in front of the other – banking the memories until the Point of No Regrets.
