"To build a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn
Far too often humans are told to live as though they are dying because life is short. The end is supposed to be kept in sight to urge us to act fearlessly in every waking moment. In doing so, we forget that the hope of tomorrow is what sparks individuals to feel inspiration to love a beautiful day or to survive a hard one. Very few of us consider that life is the longest thing that any of us will ever know. It is true that it will one day cease to exist, but we will not be there to see this end. All we will ever get to do is live. That is a powerful concept. Life should feel limitless and full of boundless possibilities.
When one chooses to live as though they are dying, in their mind the journey is already about to be over. This can make us question what the purpose of it all is. I prefer to live each day knowing that there will be more to come. Whether the past 24 hours have broken your heart or mended it, they have offered valuable experiences. Each experience lived through will change us, teach us, or inspire us.
Life is a series of highs and lows, tribulations and triumphs and it is in fact infinite. There is no knowledge of what will happen once we cease to exist, but there can be faith in what our next days or years can bring. People like to believe that life fulfills the chronology of a movie. It is expected that humans will undergo great conflict in their life, resolve their issues and then simply live a happily ever after once they find the routine that provides them with joy. This kind of thinking seems to ease our anxieties. However, as I have recently learned, there is no chronology to our lives like in a movie. We don't have a director to say when the characters we have encountered are in over their heads. Or to say that there is so much beauty it is unrealistic. There may be a few conflicts but several wondrous days in between. Let this recognition awaken you to believe that wonderful things are coming and terrible ones will offer you immense self growth.
There will be losses so painful that force us to cling to the comfort of our sheets, not wanting to escape our bed for weeks. Disappointments will occur and circumstances can fill us with fear that this is how it is always going to be. But perhaps when the next heartbreak occurs, our first loss will have taught us how to walk away from a relationship that steals our light. Maybe the painful moments -- the ones that have tested us the most will teach us how to recognize the right people to love. Years of pure bliss with few worries will happen too. There will also be devastating occurrences in other years. Hold on to both the broken days and the magnificent ones. Both are equally essential to us.
Go on adventures. Risk your heart. Stay in. Say no to some opportunities but yes to others. Live, risk, shelter and do everything in between. There is no correct way to exist. But know that because you have to hit certain lows, you will be resurrected and capable of building yourself back up.
Life is not short. It is a long road with many alternate routes to take and you can always change your mind or turn back around if you've gone too far. On the contrary, you can run farther and past everything you have ever dreamed of.
Live like you have a life to get back to tomorrow. Live like you're living. Live like it's going to be a long journey filled with unlimited struggles to overcome but dreams to accomplish.
