#Reverb11 March Prompt:

If March 2011 was your last month to live, how would you live it?

Last Month to Live: Actions to Take?Questions like this make you think about the unimaginable, yet it isn’t unimaginable. We all know our time is limited, possibly short.

If March was my last month to live, I would:

Cry… why me?

Deny… why now?

Pray… save me?

Think… why didn’t I do more? Was my life worth something?

Then the transition would begin from being self-centered to being family-centered.

I would visit my parents and tell them thanks for starting it all and guiding me along the way.

I would spend as much time with my family as possible, without being absorbed in sorrow.

I would try to write or record my advice and guidance for my sons as they continue to grow: My Randy Pausch Last Lecture moment.

The reality.

The question should be:

What will you do in the month ahead to live it as if it was the last one?

It turns into a will versus would question. This is the right question.

Usually, we do not know when our time will end, but we do know that we have time right now.

The answers then to this question are:

I will do… what action will best exemplify who I am?

I will love… who are the most important to me, and do they feel my love for them?

I will learn… what knowledge can I gain?

I will choose… what choices can I make to live inspired?

I will pray… am I living meaningfully, am I on the right path, am I listening to the Spirit inside me?

I will reflect… what pause can I take to refresh?

I will overcome… what barriers are getting in the way of doing inspired, meaningful things in my life?

I will lead an engaged life, doing my best at whatever I do, every day.

The point is: live your life as if it is the last month or day. A seemingly trite statement packed with relevancy — Don’t wait till the end.

In the end, if we are lucky enough to know a month prior to our death, the last thoughts running through our minds should be “what a life” instead of “what now”. This is the type of life I will lead. What about you?