So this is it then?  The End.

If only, I had known, if only there was some warning.  There was so much I wanted to do:

I wish I could have had a little more time.
I wish I could have seen one last sunset, surfed one last wave, enjoyed one last meal, shared one last smile.
I wish I could have reminisced on the events and adventures I savoured.
I wish I could have one more dream and delight in the wonder of imagination.
I wish I could have told my family how much I truly loved them and thanked them for all their care.
I wish I could have told my friends how much I respected them, learnt from them, and enjoyed their company.
I wish I could have apologised for my mistakes, and made up for embarrassments of the past.
I wish I could have had the courage to surmount fear and limitations preventing me seizing opportunities.
I wish I could have bestowed something of use to the world. Left a legacy, words of wisdom, or even one last joke.

I wish I could…

Oh wait, I can!

If you haven’t guessed, I’m not dead yet (although I could be by the time you read this).  That’s why I’m writing this now.  The last thing I want at the moment of my death is to be worrying about all the things I wish I had done.  I want to be enjoying the event – it’s a once in a lifetime experience!

The truth is I don’t know what’s going to happen.

I could spend my life worrying about it, or planning something great to say, but I’m a bit busy living at the moment so this will have to do:

I choose to savour every sunset, every wave, every taste, touch, sound, sight, and smell, as if they are the last.
I choose to reminisce, and make the most of amazing memories.
I choose to dream and delight in the wonder of imagination.
I choose to tell my friends and family I love them.  I try to avoid petty arguments because I don’t have time.
I choose to thank them (thanks again!) and enjoy their company at every opportunity.
I choose to think of every mistake I’ve made as a lesson, and learn from the valuable experience.
I choose to live every moment with honour because I may not be able to apologise or make amends later.
I choose to jump at every opportunity to challenge myself, learn a new skill or conquer a fear.
I choose to embrace every moment of life, and be grateful for every second.

I wish I could…  so I choose to.  Simply because I don’t know when I won’t be able to anymore.

But I do realise it will be soon.  Just think of all the ways you could die today:

You could get cancer.
You could be run over by a bus.
You could freeze to death.
You could die of food poisoning.
You could starve.
You could be caught in a nuclear war.
You could be killed by a tsunami / earthquake / volcano / meteorite.
You could be the victim of a virus / bacterial infection / mystery illness.
You could dehydrate from global warming.
You could drown in the bath.
You could be crushed by a vending machine you were shaking, hoping for a freebie.
You could choke to death on your own toothbrush.
You could be in a car / plane / boat / jet ski / U.F.O. crash.
You could accidentally decapitate yourself with a chainsaw.
You could sneeze so hard you burst a blood vessel in your brain (easy on the pepper).
You could be eaten by a crocodile / shark / hamster.
You could die playing Frisbee with a landmine.
You could try to shield yourself from all the dangers and suffocate in cotton wool / bubble wrap.
You could bore yourself to death trying to list all the ways you could die.

Strange how a website about happiness can be so morbid?

Detach yourself for a moment.  Let’s be academic and think about the subject…

Death is coming.  Do you stick your head in a bucket of sand and try not to think about the inevitable?
Or, do you accept it, even embrace it?  Can you cure yourself of the fear and use the concept to improve your life?

Whenever I wake up in the morning, I’m pleasantly surprised and extremely grateful for another day.
Stop yourself right now and realise.  It could all be over any second. You will not live forever.  Now is all we have.

Stop.  Breathe.  Feel that cool, sweet air gently massage your nose and throat.
Feel that fresh force of live stroke your chest and radiate through your body.
Feel your pumping heart beat oxygen through every vein, muscle, organ and limb.
Feel the blood warm your fingers and the tingle in your toes.
Feel the oxygen feed your brain, astonishing thoughts and emotions calmed by the cool air.
Feel it.  This very second.  Experience now. Use every sense.  Listen, look, smell, taste and touch.
Feel your senses. Engage your perception.  Indulge your brain.
Feel the universe around you.
Feel the universe within you.
Feel…
Feel life.
Feel love.  In every heartbeat.  In every second.

Because soon you won’t.

And you’ll wish you could.