Recently I have been reading the new Dan Brown book “The Secret of Secrets.” This has lead me to think about – “The Fear of Death” which it says is to be the greatest reason for the creation of faiths.
This has left me thinking, and having sat with the idea, I might “fear death” not because I will loose my body and its amazing abilities, but it is more to do with the fear that I will not remember the memories of family, friends, places I’ve been and things I have done, and the incredible life I have been gifted.
If my hopes come true that we do retain these memories of our amazing and unlikely lives, then surely we should be out there, enjoying every moment we can. We need not spend oodles of money (well, you can if you want to!) but there are so many incredible things out there that are free, memorable and life affirming.
Another thought often occurs to me as I chat with the many patients who suffer from anxiety, some who live life worrying about the death of their loved ones.
This passage comes from Terry Pratchett’s book “Reaper Man” – “No one is really dead until the ripples they cause die away, until the clock he wound up has wound down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested.” Which leads me to think about what “Ripples” will I leave and how long will they last, what can I do to positively extend my “Ripples” into the future.
“There’s nothing that says you need to be optimistic about everything at all times. But what I like to think is that if you are not optimistic, you will not find solutions.
I meet many people through work and play who seem to have lost their optimism and often say things like “Well, I am retired now, I will stop.” or “I am 70 years old now, I shall slow down.” or “Not at my age!” or “I can’t do that at 80!” And then there are those amazing individuals who turn around to me and say things like, “I am going to be 93 next week, how can I keep going?”
And my answer is, just don’t stop. Don’t stop getting on the floor, don’t stop having fun, don’t stop seeing the light side of life and laughing at the ridiculous, my suggestion to you is to keep fit, keep active no matter your age, you can still enjoy working your body at the level that is fitting to you.
Keep your body active every day, keep practicing moving, So that when and if you ever need it to get yourself out of trouble, whether it be from a fall, a wrong turn or just because the grandchildren persuaded you to do that extra mile. You can be there to enjoy it, and keeping saying YES!!
Keep saying YES, keep going forward and keep making those fabulous memories.
In Friendship
Dan
WhatIsThePoint.net 