Do It Now

“One day you will wake up and there won’t be anymore time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.” Paulo Coelho

When Eric travels I indulge in watching movies he refuses to sit through. He calls them, “chick flicks.” They’re some of my favorite films because they remind me of the value of love and life.

Last night when I turned on the television, HBO was already playing Trust The Man. It caught my attention because Billy Crudup’s character was a writer obsessed with his eventual death. His fear of dying clouds his view of enjoying life and recognizing what’s really important to him. Immediately, I needed to know who wrote the script because the character’s outlook of  life being a grand play destined to come to an end (we’re all going to die)… well, it’s what I often feel. While that sounds depressing it’s also freeing. I try not to waste time. I try to pursue my best life while I have it. I’ve found that the more I follow my passions and live what makes me happy the less tolerance I have for anything that comes into my life and causes me pain. It’s as if there’s a light guiding me on my journey and when I make a wrong turn I recognize the darkness much quicker now than I did when I was younger. I sprint back to my path—my happiness—my peace.  In case you’re wondering who wrote the script, it’s Bart Fruendlich.

When, Trust The Man Ended, I searched for my next film. I finally decided on A Little Bit of Heaven. Again the theme was death. I’m drawn to people and characters that are free spirits. Those individuals that speak their mind and have an outward energy that emanates from them. Love it! Kate Hudson plays such a character in, A Little Bit of Heaven, and she makes the movie fun to watch even though her character is dying. When she discovers she has cancer she allows herself to fall in love for the first time. Yep, it’s sad. Have a box of tissues handy. My favorite line, “I want to put the fun back in funeral.”

Both movies featured characters whose fear stopped them from loving. One lived a wild carefree life and the other went through the motions of life but didn’t really live. This got me wondering about love’s role in life. Is lack of love due to fear the reason for unhappiness?

I once asked an elderly man if there was a time period in his life where he was the happiest. Childhood, 20’s, 30’s 40’s or maybe retirement. I suppose I expected him to say that there was happiness throughout his life. Instead  his answer shocked me. “Never.” My heart broke. He was well into his eighties and he believed he’d never been happy. How does that happen? Perhaps he’s never allowed himself to love even though it surrounded him. Perhaps he never deemed himself worthy of love out of guilt from past mistakes. Maybe he’s seen himself as a victim of life instead of the captain of his own ship. Maybe it was his loneliness and depression speaking and not the truth of what he once felt. What I learned from my time with him was that there was nothing I could do to change his inner view of his world. I could share a meal with him, offer advice, be a friend, but ultimately any change in his attitude had to come from within. No one can save us from ourselves.

Quality of life does not just pertain to our physical nature. Quality of life includes our inner well-being—our happiness. That’s why it’s so important to, Do It Now! None of us really know how much time we have left. Watch the video: The Time You Have In JellyBeans. Fascinating.

What are you going to do today?

The featured image: Daily Downward Dog