The End is Near

This is directly taken from Chris Guillebeau, world traveler and author of the blog, “The Art of Nonconformity.”(http://chrisguillebeau.com/about-the-project/). I liked it so much, I copied the most recent e-mail article in its entirety:

“The End is Always Near

Have you heard the one about the end of time? Yep — it’s on the way.  Every day, we lose another 1,440 minutes that will never return. Farewell, minutes! Goodbye, opportunities. The other day I noticed I had been thinking “I’ll do that in the summer” about a lot of things. Then I realized, hey, it’s late August already… seriously? How did that happen?

However it works, time marches on. 

This is a friendly reminder to stop living mindlessly. Spend your days in pursuit of joy and adventure. Help someone and create something that will endure. The end is (always) near.”

He’s right, you know. I have often said, in the course of discussion with people philosophizing or touting a specific “end of times” message, “Well, today is SOMEBODY’S last day …” The time we’re given here on earth is precious, yet much of it I spend frittering away, worrying about things that don’t happen. Mark Twain famously said, “I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” I’m not a worrier usually, but it seems like the older I get, the more I want to gather things to myself and think somehow they “depend on me.”

Truth is, they don’t. There is very little in this life I control in terms of circumstances and people.

But what I can control is myself, and the use of the 1,440 minutes I am given every day. That’s been my focus this summer. To take hold of every minute, and live it as to not create any opportunity for regret. Regret, like worry, is a waste of time. And time is precious, and measured, and I only have so much.

So here’s to really, truly living: Mindfully, adventurously, and lovingly.