Recently I had an exchange of thoughts around the notion that “we all die but how many of us truly live”.
But what does “truly live” really mean?
Does it mean we need to push beyond what others are doing, or scale the tallest mountain, travel the world endlessly, perhaps run the fastest marathon or lift the heaviest weight?
Maybe it could just mean sitting with a loved one and watching the sun pierce the eastern horizon as another day dawns…
And with plenty of time on my hands as I recover from recent surgery I pondered this question, in between snoozing on the day-bed, of course!
I am strongly of the view there are no ordinary moments; no ordinary people; no ordinary lives.
Crikey, therein lies the key, I thought!
There are no ordinary moments…
Whether you are travelling the world, caring for a loved one, climbing the tallest mountain, putting out the garbage, or even eating brussel sprouts.
Treat all the moments of your life, whatever you are doing, as something special and then you are truly living.
Being a climber and mountaineer, of sorts, I am inspired by Sir Edmund Hillary, not just because he was the first person, along with Tenzing Norgay, to summit and descend Mt Everest, but because he was a very humble man, a man that always had his hand out to help others, a man who truly lived his life.
And Sir Edmund had this to say…
“I have had the world lie beneath my clumsy boots and saw the red sun slip over the horizon after the dark Antarctic winter. I have been given more than my share of excitement, beauty, laughter and friendship.
Each of us has to discover his own path – of that I am sure.
Some paths will be spectacular and others peaceful and quiet – who is to say which is the most important? For me, the most rewarding moments have not always been the great moments, for what can surpass a tear on your departure, joy on your return, and a trusting hand in yours?” – Sir Edmund Hilary…
Xplore 
Great philosophy, I definitely appreciate that!
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Cheers!
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I have not yet begun to live.
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I’m sure you have! 🙂
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Nope..next chapter has not yet begun!! 🙂
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The only moment we “have” is the one that we are in.
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And isn’t that so true, that is the only moment we can truly live in!
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You’re getting closer to the mountain Baz, the Tibertains & the Buddist philosophy.
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😉
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Fantastic post!
The biggest part of living is personal satisfaction with whatever it is you’re doing. The worth of what we do with our time is so very subjective, that personal satisfaction has to be key.
For everyone who tells me to do something “better” with my time than hang out along the fence lines of airports indulging my passion for aircraft or tells me to quit “wasting” the pages of a sketchbook with “useless doodles”; I’ve had to bite my tongue from from questioning their choice of spare time pursuits.
I suppose they might think it would be a more “worthy” use of my time to sit idle all day at the side of a lake with a line and hook in the water; but I know I would be going nuts from lack of mental stimulation before the day was half done. Fair play to those who get something out of it, but I don’t know how you do it.
It also applies to career paths. When I tell people about my previous career as a graphic designer, I invariably here all the glamorous stereotypes about that career come out of them and they always ask how I could have given up on that “dream”.
All I can really tell them is that chasing a dream is all very well and good as long as you’re not too proud or stubborn to face up to reality when your dream turns into a nightmare. Becoming a nightmare is precisely what the career choice of graphic design did to me.
At times like that, I just remember the old proverb about some doors not opening unless others are closed first.
My English students over the years have been consistently so much more grateful for my work than most of my graphic design clients ever were and that counts for so much in the personal satisfaction context.
People ask if I regret leaving the “exciting” graphic design field and if I’m ever tempted to return to it and my answer is a resounding “NO”. That was one door I’ve never had any regrets about closing.
I feel more alive today for having closed it.
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Beautiful reflections – and I love the thoughts. I think it helps if you keep your eyes open as you travel…
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Thank you!
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Duuuuuuuuuude. Very nice quote. I love his perspective.
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He was a very special person…
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Beautiful! [And a perfect read for me today] Thank you!
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A pleasure, and thank you!
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Love that you respect that not anyone will be climbing mountains.
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Well has Hillary says, it isn’t always about mountains, we all have our own path to enjoy…
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Nice pal! I have NOT always said this. The first three times Mt Rainier kicked my ass (my body just doesn’t go above 12000 feet). I considered it failure. And myself a loser. Then the last time I looked around at what I was seeing that few get to see. And I adopted the phrase ” this is why I do what I do!” Even last night doing flights of stairs I stopped to watch sunset over the Olympic mountains. You just need to enjoy what you do, reading, writing, hiking, biking or climbing. If you don’t, it’s time t change….
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So true on all counts, and I try not to use the “F” word – failure, it is all a learning experience!
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I know at now, but in the younger years…. Not so much!
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You and Sir Edmund speak the truth! My friends and I were just discussing how one amazing moment on the trail can erase any hardship you have faced so far. It should be that way in life. Every beautiful moment, whatever that is for you…a sunset, funny joke or reaching the summit of your dream, should outweigh the bad and remind you about the beauty of living.
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It is a beautiful quote from Hillary!
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That is it!! Of course adventuresome types want to get out there to experience. But experiencing or living life can be found in small things, like taking a walk with your dog or enjoying a really good cup of tea on a veranda. I think it’s about tuning into the experience with all your senses. I loved your post. Get better soon!! Enjoy the downtime – I spent my two weeks in bed after surgery drawing, hanging out with my dog, watching television and of course on my iPad! It wasn’t all bad.
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Yes, if you live in the moment then I think you truly live…
And yes it has been a good two weeks, on the road to recovery…
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i think about this often… i’m not climbing any mountains but i truly appreciate all my moments, my life and all the people in it. i feel present, and that makes all of it a gift.
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And that is the key I think, being in the moment of anything you do!
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Reblogged this on M7 Adaptive Fitness and commented:
Had to reblog this. What an outstanding, elegant truth.
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Thank you!
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Such an outstanding post, Baz. Can’t add a word to it. Wow.
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Thanks Mike…
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