“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."
You know how sometimes quotes or song lyrics can just hit you square in the chest? And you aren't sure why but that quote was significant to you? It is almost like all the emotions that you are feeling but can't express are somehow expressed through someone else's words and it lets you breathe a little easier knowing someone else is out there that gets you. It gives you a sense of solidarity that puts you at peace even if only for a moment.
I gotta admit, that happened to me tonight. I was watching Act of Valor. Not really my type of movie but I thought I would give it a chance and this poem ended the movie. BOOM. Out of nowhere I felt it. That pang in my chest and that extra breath knowing that someone else felt similar to how I felt and the admiration that they were able to say it so eloquently.
Man, that poem has been my mantra this past year. I got a giant wake up call last year. I realized that life is precious and short. So, I have set upon this journey to make life more meaningful and do my best in all ways to all people. I can say for a fact that my brother lived life to the fullest. He soaked up every experience he could and I'm attempting to do the same and make the most of this life I've been blessed with.
So I encourage you, what quotes have made an impact on you lately? What song lyrics made you stop and think? What lines from a movie? What quotes are you pinning on Pinterest lately? I can promise you they have an underlying meaning as to why they affect you. Take a moment to think about it and reflect. It can offer some insight as to why you are feeling certain emotions or acting a certain way. It can help you learn a lot about yourself and I think that's always a good thing.
We all do things for different reasons and different things affect us for different reasons. So next time you find yourself crying watching the ending scenes of a movie or are singing along passionately to a song or writing "YEA!" as your caption for your quote on Pinterest, stop and ask yourself why. You never know, you may surprise yourself with the answer.
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