SheShe Life

I am someone who doesn’t like to sit still, physically or metaphorically. I thrive when I have a lot of balls in the air and don’t know how I’m going to get it all done. I perform well under pressure and multi-task better than than most.

As August came to a close, work was insanely busy and business travel wouldn’t let up. We were buying a single family home and fixing, listing and selling our over-stuffed-condo. We had other-worldly life events that had taken on life of their own making for relentless scheduling, appointments and stress. Plus I was planning a surprise party for my wife’s 40^th Birthday and a 10-day trip to Portugal in September too. It was a lot even for this self-proclaimed multi-tasker.

But on September 1^st, the universe put my self-righteous multi-tasking into question and sent us a blow to the gut that doubled us over.

Our sister-in-law Judy who was just 44 and Mom to our 6-year-old nephew suffered a massive heart attack and died 36 hours later.

Suddenly the world came to a stop.

My wife and I were on a plane to LA for her services and, as the work emails and realtor calls kept coming in, all we could think about was, none of it fucking mattered.

Because whether it is your life or the one you love, one day it is here and the next it is so unequivocally gone.

Now that Stresstember has to come close, Thanksgiving is around the corner and we’ve settled into our new home, our Saturdays are once again filled with a whole host of other first-world to-do lists. But now is as good as any time to recognize how fortunate we are to have friends, family and pets who, without their presence, life seems unimaginable.

So this Saturday before Thanksgiving I’ll take a break from the to-dos to reflect on our amazing life and ask myself what I would do if tomorrow were one my last.

Would I work harder than I have to create make things that make a difference? Absolutely.

Would I go for a walk at lunch rather than answering every email in record time? Fuck yes.

Would I read more, rest more and eat more salad? Yes to all of the above.

Would I say thank you to the janitor every night when she empties my trash? Always.

Would I say a prayer to God, wherever she is, thanking her for all that I’ve got. Yes, and I hope to get better at this.

Would I tell my wife, my Mom, my best friend, my brother, my dog and every one of my lifelines that I love them every time like it might be my last time? You damn well better believe it.

So this Thanksgiving, let’s be thankful for every day of life because it is the only one we’ve got. And let’s love it like there’s no tomorrow.