If Life Is a Gift.... Would You Open and Enjoy It?

Some say that life is a gift which should be opened with love in hearts and enjoy it to the fullest and some say that life sucks! For some, life is full of adventure, for some, it is a bouquet filled with love and caring, for some, it is a burden of depression and regression, for some, it is boring....... which of them is true?

Thinking about the above line, I recall that a few months back, there was a bottle of perfume sitting on the dresser that was given to me as my birthday present. It has my favourite aroma. For many days, I did not use that perfume because I want to save it for something special and a special occasion. I did not want to finish it by using daily. I was under the false belief that if I enjoy something now, it will not come to me in future. This lie steals the joy from living in the present and suspense of what the future might hold. This pattern had been gone with every new dress and a new thing I acquire for a couple of years until I came across a situation which changed my perspective of life.

Sometimes in life, we get some sudden lightening phone calls out of blue. I got a phone call from my distant cousin and friend Rumi, delivering the news of her sister Jenny’s death. Jenny was like a sister to me as well. I went to the funeral to pay my condolences and was searching for Rumi in the crowd of relatives and friends in the house. I saw Rumi talking to her brother-in-law in a room. They were discussing the clothes Jenny would wear as she was laid to rest. I joined them sadly and stood silently beside Rumi. David, her brother-in-law took beautiful lingerie which was wrapped in tissue from the cupboard. It was new and unused as the price and brand tag still remained on it. I was astonished by the cost and colour of the item. It was light lavender coloured satin silk with a delicate cobweb of white lace. Holding the item in his hand delicately, David said that Jenny had purchased it in Paris 8 or 9 years ago and never wore it as she was saving it for a special occasion. With immense sadness and loss in his eyes, He said: “ I guess this is it”. With tears in his eyes, he looked at both of us and said, “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you are alive is a special occasion”!

That situation changed my perspective of life and made me see that life is something to be enjoyed and endured even at small things. It made me change my pattern and started to enjoy life. I used to spend more time in my garden and forgot to worry about the weeds, I wore my new perfume daily, I used to have a candlelight dinner for myself every night on my dining table and for every alternate week, I used to host small parties with my neighbours and friends. I invited Rumi and David to one of my parties and thanked David silently for his valuable suggestion.

I would like to suggest others to see life with new optimism and opportunities to enjoy life at its best. Live each day as if it was your last day. Welcome every morning thinking and trying to make that day special and realise that every day, every breath, every minute of our life is a true gift from God. We should use this gift by starting to look at all the things that we want to achieve in life and stop watching everyone else doing it. It’s your turn to do what is in your heart and mind.

Build your courage by seeing and knowing about people like Grandma Moses began a painting career at age seventy-six, Golda Meir was elected Prime minister of Israel in 1969 at age seventy-one, some excited lady in her sixties had been white-water rafting and hiking in the Himalayas etc. All these wonderful humans are actually living their lives and enjoying the maximum of the thrills in life.

Don’t wait for something traumatic happens to get your attention to change your perspective but instead, start and begin to live without regrets.

I love to end this article with a wonderful quote by Peter Sage, speaker and entrepreneur: “ Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "Wow - What a Ride!"”!

Enjoy your life ride and bag some awesome experiences and moments in this journey!