To Be Born.

There are five main regrets that people have on their deathbed, they are as follows:
1. I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me
2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard
3. I wish I had the courage to express my feelings
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier

Photo by Navid Baraty from "ODE"

When I first read these I was surprised that they were simpler than I would have expected. Basically saying in one way or another, I wish I would have done what I wanted to do, said what I wanted to say, expressed how I really felt, spent time with the people that I love, and enjoyed it all while I was in the process of doing it. Let us not forget what it is to be born, and the gift that we have in simply being alive. I think so many people feel the hum drum of life, and forget the miracle. There are a lot of scary things going on in the world right now - a lot. There are wars, hate, intolerance, famine, homes breaking, health scares, natural disasters, not to mention the silent and deadly throngs of depression. And, even in all those things, I am still grateful to be born. I am grateful to be here to experience life. I am grateful to have things that I love to do, to see a view that blows my mind, to laugh so hard I can't breathe, to feel safe in the arms of someone that I love, to work hard and grow and learn new things. To have the strength to overcome travesties and turn them into triumphs. I am glad I am here, I don't want to take it for granted, I don't want to waste a moment. I want to do what I love every day and would do forever no matter what it takes. I want to help others when they feel alone. When they want to give up, we all must help each other on this journey, it is a gift to even be here to experience is. I never want to get to numb to what it means to be alive. I am here, I am born.