Quality
vs. Quantity
"I
don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the
length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well."
Diane Ackerman
As I flipped
through the tv channels for something to watch with my lunch, I noticed
a few programs
offering advice on how to live longer. Maybe it's the flooding of baby
boomers into the market that demands so much focus on extending our
years. Maybe it's our knowledge of science that convinces us there are
ways to prolong our stay on earth. And then again ... maybe we are just
hoping there will be more time so we can do all the things we want to
do.
Most people die with
something left undone, some word not spoken, some path not followed,
some dream left dangling. In spite of our best efforts, those of us with
determination and courage usually keep going right up until the last
breath. And so it is that some people do live the width of their lives
with all the fullness it brings.
Typically we don't know how
much time we have and with that comes a certain complacency. But for me,
it's not about filling in the time with lots of stuff. I don't need to
fall into bed at night exhausted from just doing. I don't want to have
an overflowing day timer or run from one activity to the next.
No, I want to feel "full" of
experience, awareness, connection, passion. gratitude, wonder and
surprise. I want to be touched deeply enough to laugh until I cry or cry
loudly enough to bring relief. I want to be proud of myself. I want to
love softly or intensely, whatever feels right. I want to accept
whatever comes knowing it somehow serves my life. I want to have more to
do and I want to stand in the middle of the road and do nothing.
It is indeed what remarkable
ways we fill our days that means so much more than how many of them we
have.
Question
of the month:
“How will you measure this day?"
