This is not new. I've mentioned it before in my blogs and in my sermons. It is one of my favorite quotes of all time. It is Oscar Wilde who once said, "Be yourself because everyone else is taken."
There is a true essence and character to every person we encounter in this life. We each come along as spiritual beings yet "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players. They each have their exits and entrances." This is from William Shakespeare and it reflects that our entrances and exits are done in character. For some, the flame of life burns so bright that our star becomes a nova and flashes into non-existence as we watch.
We have great examples of this especially in rock and roll. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Mama Cass, Prince, Michael Jackson, Whitney Huston, and Amy Winehouse to name just a few.
It is so interesting that in our phases of life there is a distinct difference between youth and old age. In my youth, I had an eternity ahead of me. I had plenty of time to do all I needed to do and I was immortal and invincible.
Once I hit 60 years old a kind of urgency reared up in my life. I realized I feel blessed to have lived as long as I have. I have no fear of dying. But I have a huge regret that I will not get done all the things on my 'to do' list.
There is a Buddhist belief that some life assignments actually take more than one lifetime to accomplish. In the realm of reincarnation, some tasks may take three or four lifetimes to finish. It doesn't stop us from wanting to finish eveything this time around.
I almost get this vision of us coming to a place where the angel of death is standing in front of us and we are saying in a pleading voice, "Wait a minute; I've got a few more thingts to do!"
I only know that no one has ever come to that last breath and said, "I should have worked more!" It reinforces a fact that we sometimes forget - this is not a dress rehearsal. This is it! This is the one shot on living our life. So I can never understand why we would not do everything full out.
Do not drive this life in first gear! Shift to full drive and gear up! This is a freeway so expand and expend your energy to get onto the freeway. It sometimes is so easy to get stuck in an eddy in some quiet corner of life. Opportunity is a fickle creature; it knocks on the door but does not stay long. Answer your door (though it might be a window)!
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