get ready for a fulfilling life

“Said I was in my early 40s, with a lot of life before me, then a moment came and stopped me on a dime. I spent most of the next days, lookin’ at the X-rays, talkin’ bout the options, and talkin’ bout sweet time. I asked him when it sank in, that this might really be the real end, how’s it hit ya, when you get that kind of news? Man, what ya do?” - Tim McGraw. Long story short, he went skydiving, Rocky Mountain climbing, and 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu. He loved deeper, spoke sweeter, and gave forgiveness he’d been denying. He lived like he was dying! This song by Tim McGraw brings great emotion to life and never fails to get me to scream my lungs out in the car. When you stop and think about the lyrics, this is just a song about how so many people are missing out on a fulfilling life. The man in this song doesn’t even realize that he hasn’t been living a fulfilling life until he has a health issue that could take those opportunities away from him. Why are things like health scares the only things that make us realize we haven’t been living our lives the way we want to be? Why are we not already living the lives we want to? Are you really as happy as you can possibly be? Why are we planning out our futures with no idea if we will make it there? Why are we not living our lives like we could die any minute? I could formulate a thousand more questions relating to this topic that would make you think about how you are living your life, but I think I got the point across. I think about what I would rather be doing a lot. Like, how instead of sitting in chemistry class at 8:00 every morning, I would rather be on a road trip to a ski mountain with some friends or driving home to surprise my family. I am guilty of planning too far ahead, much like many people. I get caught up in life and only decide to do the things I actually enjoy if my stacked “schedule” allows. I’ve been called boring, lame, no fun, and a party-pooper. All these names make me think about how busy I am and how I do not make time for the things that make me the happiest, something that I really need to work on doing. So, I’m going to challenge myself, as well as you, whoever you are reading this, to do something as if you were dying. Go on a trip or buy a dog. Go to church more or make some extra time for the people you love. This song teaches a lesson that I believe all people should take to heart and truly consider when thinking about how they want to live their life. No matter what you want to do, as long as it makes you happy, just do it. If you don’t, you might regret it when you don’t have time left.