Attack of the evil pumkins, and other possibilities.

Here we are yet again, with another story to tell. I'm in my usual attire, so you can just call me "thongman". I'm sitting in a sparsely decorated room having a staring contest with a plastic pumpkin. I mean who doesn't love Halloween?  For reasons I can't easily explain, this staring contest is a "life or death" situation. Which leads me naturally into today's thoughts.

Recently I came across an interesting Ted talk that correlates with a project my best friend and I have been working on over the past couple of years. The link below gives you a glimpse into what this is all about.

Big Talk

For those of you who don't have time to check it out I'll just say the video encourages people to ask others and themselves questions that require deep thought. One of the questions mentioned is "What do you want to do before you die." It's a compelling question, one that asks, what is most important to you?

I decided to choose a variation of this which says "If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?"

Lets say for the sake of this hypothetical situation, that you could literally do "anything."

I'd wake up as early as possible and write a blog entry, a sort of "farewell" letter. I would speak openly and intimately about my life, my decisions and my path in the hopes that others would really understand and know me.

Next I'd spend some time with my family. I'd tell my parents that I loved them, and I'd let them know that despite the hardships and hurdles, I'd lived a good life.

Then I'd gather around me my three closest friends and a few other "like minded people". We would go out to a park or somewhere in nature and just talk. I would take a moment to really enjoy the feeling of the sun on my skin. I'd run my hands through the grass and try to really feel connected to this planet I've called home.

We would spend the day walking and talking, just enjoying each others company and sharing stories. At some point later in the day we'd share a meal of my favorite foods. I'd have half a glass of really good wine, just to savor the taste of it.

During our talks I would encourage them to dream big and live passionately. I'd try to share with them the important things I've learned on my journey. As the evening winds down I'd say my farewells to most of them. I wouldn't reveal to anyone what was going to happen the next day.

I'd tell my "brother" that I love him. I'd remind him of his talent and how his influence and companionship has shaped my life. I'd ask him not to let my passing be seen as a cause for mourning, but as an opportunity for thought and growth.

As our group seperates I'd ask one of my friends "Sarah" to free up the rest of her evening. We would return to her home, and just spend time together. I'd tell her all the things I never said when we were dating and living together. I'd spend some time "serving" her by doing her laundry, cleaning etc. We would stay up talking and laughing and just being with each other until it started getting late.

As night closed in and I knew time was drawing near, we would lay down together. I would cherish every moment of these final experiences. I would genuinely take in her beauty, her strength, her knowledge and wisdom. I'd drift off to sleep in her arms feeling safe and loved. "Sarah once told me that "love" is in the doing, so this is what I would do.

I'm a little emotional from thinking about all of this stuff, and I suspect if you answer the question, you might be too. My point here is by doing so, you give yourself a chance to explore possibilities. You draw the focus away from matters that might be trivial or even worse, fears or insecurities that hold you back from living the life you really want.

If you take nothing else from this, just ask yourself, how might my life be different if I dared to dream and let those ideas come true?

On an end note I'll just add, I won the staring contest! So yeah I plan to be around for another hundred years or so. :)