Twilight

I've always been a big fan of living life to its fullest.  I wish I followed my own advice more.  It seems that I let things get in the way.  Work, finances, relationships, kids, the house, the lawn....they all require attention, but I'm working on it.  I should work harder on living life fully.  A lot harder.

Nothing is a bigger motivator to live a full and clutter free life than seeing where life eventually leads.  Yes, yes we all return to the earth sometime, but its the stage before the return that really shows the reality of it all.

Not a week goes by when I don't see it.  My vocation often brings me in contact with executors for those who have passed, but just as often, the clients are still alive.  In these cases, I am dealing with grown children who have come in from far flung places to help a relative who no longer has the capacity to deal with a life that most of us take for granted.  Some have Alzheimers, others have terminal illnesses and many are just too frail to take on even the simplest of tasks.  Memory has faded and faculties wane.  Some are bed ridden and others simply sit in old, frayed, favorite chairs and gaze emptily at nothing. Above them, hanging on walls are old, faded relics of a lively past.  Military medals of valor, steeplechase ribbons, sports trophies...from a different life.  From a life before age exacted its toll.  Questions are asked by children and relatives in raised voices.  "Do you want to take this, Mom?"  "Dad, that won't fit in your tiny place at the home."  "You don't need this anymore do you?  Just let it go."

The twilight of life.  Time to cast off all the accumulations and pare back to just the basics.  A friend of mine who works closely with senior living facilities showed me the progression of buildings.... When you can't live in your own home, you start at "independent living" in a one bedroom apartment.  From there you move to smaller buildings where the care is more intensive and from there.....you know.  The trip is only one way.

Depressing?  Yes.  But this is reality.  A reality I see over and over with little variation other than the cast of characters.

Ask yourself.  What do you really need to be happy?  Is life about things or experiences?  Will all the neat stuff really matter when you reach your twilight?  Will you look back and think, "Boy I had some really great things, didn't I?"  Wouldn't you rather say "Boy, I did some great things, didn't I?"

Of great inspiration are the many sites and blogs that foster the art of living with very little.  Check out Minimalist Journey.

Time for me to start practicing what I preach.