DO not mention death.

I got a bit of a ticking off the other day from a very good friend telling me that I have to stop thinking about death such thinking can only make you sad. For a great many people this is, in fact, the case and so some will not have opened this blog today and those who have some will have already stopped reading because I have used the word.

So let me change the word and mention life. Does this sound more positive? I am sure it does so let me say just a very little about life. My life, your life and everybody else's life. 

Your life is yours alone.  

Others can try to persuade you, but they can’t decide for you.  They can walk with you, but not in your shoes.  So make sure the path you decide to walk aligns with your own intuition and desires, and don’t be scared to switch paths or pave a new one when it makes sense.

Remember, it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than the top of the one you don’t.  

Be productive and patient.  And realise that patience is not about waiting, but the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard for what you believe in.  This is your life, and it is made up entirely of your choices.  May your actions speak louder than your words.  

May your life preach louder than your lips.  

May your success be your noise in the end.

And if life only teaches you one thing, let it be that taking a passionate leap is always worth it.  Even if you have no idea where you’re going to land, be brave enough to step up to the edge of the unknown, and listen to your heart.   

Remember if you are not living on the edge there is a fair chance you are taking up somebody else's space.

Now back to where I started with this thought in mind.

We know deep down that life is short, and that death will happen to all of us eventually, and yet we are infinitely surprised when it happens to someone we know.  

It is like walking up a flight of stairs with a distracted mind and misjudging the final step.  You expected there to be one more stair than there is, and so you find yourself off balance for a moment, before your mind shifts back to the present moment and how the world really is.

LIVE your life TODAY!  Do not ignore death, but do not be afraid of it either.  

Be afraid of a life you never lived because you were too afraid to take action.  Death is not the greatest loss in life.  

The greatest loss is what dies inside you while you’re still alive.  Be bold.  Be courageous.  Be scared to death, and then take the next step anyway.

Now that is me talking about death because I do not see it as something gloomy to be avoided I see it as a spur to do something more and something new. So I have agreed, yes at my age, to sign up to be secretary of the village community council.

Who knows, it just might be my swan song so I will give it my all and give them the very best I can and hope to leave a little something that will have my community remember just something I did for them. 

Have a great day I am off to make it a good one and probably get another soaking in the process.