But we get distracted and believe we can wait to make the connection,
lend the hand, or offer a shoulder.
There will always be tomorrow . So, we postpone.

Last week I learned of the death of a friend’s mother. She traveled this earth just shy of 104 years. Her longevity is hard to fathom.  More than a century of experiences and relationships.

A while back, I had the pleasure to sit and learn with another centurion (who is now moving toward 102 years young). Today, she still overpowers a room with her warmth, incisiveness, and care for others. Quick witted, well-read, and mentally agile, this woman lives each day for its fullest. Legacy.

While I never met my friend’s mother, I was taken by what he told me of her last night.  She ate her meal in the den. Got up with the aid of her walker and moved herself to her bedroom. She then rested her head on the pillow for a final time.

Food. Family. Farewell.

She left this part of her journey with what and who mattered to her.

Photo by Steve Piscitelli. ©2019

I remember reading a book passage where the author asked an aging mentor how he would like to live his last day.  As I recall, the older man said he would take a walk in the park and then, surrounded by his family and friends, have a final satisfying meal.

Simple. Eloquent. Poignant.  Living and ending on his terms. With whom and what resonated with his soul.

These stories remind me of the need to reach out and experience, share, and appreciate what is around us now.  But we get distracted and believe we can wait to make the connection, lend the hand, or offer a shoulder. There will always be tomorrow. So, we postpone.

“What are you waiting for?” can push us to hurry up, move faster, and experience an authentically-lived life.  It might, also, cause us to miss what is important and right in front of us as we hurry right on by it.

Do you show compassion to yourself and those around you while you play your song now? Do you pause to allow in the silence, stillness, insights, and clarity that you can miss in the rush of the day?

As I wrote nearly nine years ago, we are not promised anything.  We can, though, choose to take time to embrace the truth and connections that have helped shape us. We can make that promise now and act on it.

We build our legacy, one way or another.

Video Recommendation for the Week

Sammy Kershaw sings about living as if we had “One Day Left to Live.”

My book, Community as a Safe Place to Land,has been released! At this point, you can purchase it on Amazon. More purchasing options coming. More information at www.stevepiscitelli.com.

Make it an inspiring and grateful week and H.T.R.B. as needed.

You can still order my book Stories about Teaching, Learning, and Resilience: No Need to be an Island (2017). Another university recently (February 2019) adopted it for training and coaching purposes. Contact me if you and your team are interested in doing the same. The paperback price on Amazon is now $12.00 and the Kindle version stands at $3.99. Consider it for a faculty orientation or a mentoring program. The accompanying videos would serve to stimulate community-building conversations at the beginning of a meeting.

My podcasts can be found at The Growth and Resilience Network® (http://stevepiscitelli.com/media-broadcast/podcast). You will find more about what I do at www.stevepiscitelli.com.

©2019. Steve Piscitelli

The Growth and Resilience Network®