Make Your Dash Count

Well I certainly did not want to start 2013 this way.
I am in mourning as I had a friend pass away on January 1.
There have been tears, laughs, anger, fatigue, regret, guilt, doubt and a lot of sadness the past two days.
One thing that has resonated with me as I am dealing with all of these emotions is a quote from the "Life of Pi": "I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye."
Well I was not able to take a moment to say goodbye.
My friend became suddenly ill. He was rushed to ICU on Dec. 28. He passed away on Jan. 1. He was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), and the measures they used to try to make him better ultimately took him away because he was too weak for the chemotherapy
The world lost a good one.
A family has lost a father, husband, son, and a whole bunch of people are missing a dear friend.
My friend's death came too early and it is a reminder that we never know when the sun will set on us.
So as we start the new year and resolutions are made, I plan on making sure the people that matter to me know how important they are so we don't have the regret or pain of not having said that goodbye.
It seems to me that all of the nice words that are spoken at a funeral are spoken too late for the man who is dead. People need to hear these things while they are above ground.
Don’t take anything for granted. You just never know. Life is short and precious and you must treat every day like it is a gift because it is. Easier said than done as it is so easy to get wrapped up in all the bull shit that is life, but if you can, and I know you can, try really, really hard to live out your dreams and do those things that you have been putting off. Make your dash count.

"The Dash" 

I read of a man who stood to speak 

at a funeral of his friend. 

He referred to the dates on her tombstone 

from beginning ... to the end. 

He noted that first came the date of his birth 

and spoke of the second with tears, 

but he spoke that what mattered most of all 

was the dash between those years. 

For that dash represents all that time 

that he spent alive here on earth 

and now only those who love him 

know what this little line is worth. 

For it matters not how much we own; 

the cars, the house, the cash. 

What matters most is how we live and love 

and how we spend our dash. 

Do think about this long and hard, 

Are there things you like to change? 

For you'll never know how much time is left. 

So when you're eulogy is being read 

with your lives actions rehashed, 

would you be pleased with the things they have to say 

and how you spend your dash?

I am dating myself with this picture but here I am with my friend, Dave. Just enjoying life and neither of us having a clue about what is waiting for us around the corner. I don't know where the rest of my days will take me but I know Dave will be disappointed in me if I did not try to honor him by making the most out of my remaining days. Rest in Peace Dave Freer. You will most certainly be missed.












I will persevere. I will keep moving forward. I will be the stream.