Pablo is aging. In case you don’t know, Pablo is our soon to be 11 year old boxer. He’s not as boisterous as he used to be. He thinks before climbing down the stairs. But just touch his leash and he’s bounding about ready to go for a walk – as many times a day as you’ll take him! To me, he’s the perfect poster boy for ‘Live life when you have it.’
Live life when you have it. Life is a splendid gift–there is nothing small about it.
Florence Nightingale
Life Life When You Have It
The last few years have been a great reminder to me about the fragility of life. Losing loved ones in quick succession will get you to re-examine your priorities. It will get you to re-look at life – and wonder what you’ve achieved. It will get you to think about the legacy you are leaving.
But the business of daily life seemingly comes in the way of pursuing these ‘higher’ things. Wondering what to cook for dinner, for example! Then preparing it and washing the dishes. Then starting another day all over again.
Then there are various other challenges that come with living. Aging is one of them! 😉 With age, come health issues. So you have to focus on keeping yourself well. Exercise. Eating right. Regular check ups.
You get my drift?
We seem to be waiting for some day in the future to really start living our best life.
But this is the only life we have. Why can’t it be our best one? Every seemingly mundane thing we do is towards living. Let’s do each task with joy and gratitude mindful to live life when we have it. I’m gradually learning to do that. It’s slow learning, but so rewarding.
There is no other way.
Zen master Suzuki Roshi believes that enlightenment is expressed by being just where you are.
A woman tells Roshi that she finds it difficult to mix Zen practice with the demands of being a full time mother, employee, friend, volunteer, etc.“I’m trying to climb this ladder of enlightenment. But for every step upward I slip backward two steps.”
He tells her, “Forget the ladder. When you are awake, everything is already right here on the ground.”
Are you living your best life?
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Eleven is quite an elderly boxer! Our St. Bernard is eight and beginning to show signs of aging, which makes us very sad, but when he’s off his leash and romping with our youngest son, he’s a puppy again. Dogs are such good teachers.
I sometimes wonder what we’d be without our dogs, Michele! 🙂
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..Why Focusing on the Bright Side Isn’t Always Good Advice
What can I say about this? Am I living the best life? Or am I just floating around for this while waiting to get back to my life at home in the hope that there lies (as it used to) my best life? Is this idea a vain idea? I am not even as old as Pablo (converting dog years to human years) and I am already showing signs of aging with one limb giving up one after another and each time I am required to make an effort to get it into working state.
Anamika Agnihotri recently posted..Find me #WordlessWednesday
I totally agree with you. I hate doing chores! But I guess, we need to learn to live our life to the fullest in spite of that. Make every moment count, even if it is washing the dinner dishes! I am also trying though…
Jyothi Nair recently posted..Tell Tale by Jeffrey Archer
This resonates so much with me! Living each moment to its fullest, and also making sure that in the middle of all the busyness and never ending responsibilities, we don’t ignore the things that light us up. After all, there’s never a right time or a perfect time for anything. We have to make the time where we can. We owe it to ourselves!
Modern Gypsy recently posted..The 2020 book bingo reading challenge
So agree with mindful living and practising gratitude in the way we live our everyday lives. We’ve been taught to value the present moment and yet, we tend to overlook that because we’re focussing on living for the future. I so loved the beautiful response from the Zen master, Corinne! Seems like what I encounter inside my head every day when challenges surface and patience seems to run out!
Something I think about almost everyday. If I don’t live now, do things now, then when. No one has seen the future. And there’s no perfect time to start doing things that we truly want. Pablo is a handsome fellow. At 11 he sure has lived and experience a lot. I miss my dogs. The emotional relationship that we share with them cannot be replaced.
Rajlakshmi recently posted..Bloom – Zentangle Inspired Artwork
i hate chores too, and now with my house helps on leave I am going crazy with them. Sometimes I think i am living life to the fullest because i am doing what i like, but then sometimes i think there are so may things that i can do.
I am content, these days, to be aunt and granny to pets and humans. When I married, I had to choose – pets, or my husband. He has won out over the years; I used to tease him that it was a close contest, but it’s really not at all. He has been my constant companion for more than half my life, and should he outlive me, he can take care of himself just fine. I truly enjoy other people’s pets, but now I’m quite happy not to have the permanent responsibility of their care. It’s hard enough to let go of the people we love and are attached to, when the time comes. I’ve thought of getting an African Grey Parrot, but at this point, it would be likely to outlive ME, and that would not be a kindness to the bird, either.
Holly recently posted..A Fresher Perspective
Ah! Life. Zen master’s response was great and I wish we were all able to live in the present. I try but there are days I drift too. Everything I am here Corinne, you give me food for thought. Thank you. It means a lot to come here and go back reflecting and putting in thoughts to mundane action.
Parul Thakur recently posted..A quiet morning and some reflections