Somewhere in Oklahoma.

There are so many sayings, songs, books, and stupid Facebook statuses about "living like you're dying" (and, you know...dreaming like you'll live forever, or whatever). And now I'm going to add another blog post on the subject to the world.

I guess we're just fascinated by it as human beings. That big "what if." What if the world was ending tomorrow? What if you had a few hours to do everything you've ever wanted before it was all gone? What really matters? Who? What would you do?

So I guess the answers to those questions are supposed to motivate your life. And you're supposed to try to live like everyday is the last day. So...why don't people live like that? To an extent, I don't know. I'm not sure why, if you really want something, and if you know that it'd be a huge regret if the world DID end tomorrow, or if you KNOW that somewhere out there there's that one person you'd want to be with if it really DID happen, well, I don't know why we don't just drop what we're doing and center our lives around those things.

To an extent, though, it's because we can't. You CAN'T live your life like the world will end tomorrow because it wouldn't really be living at all. It'd just be this big, stagnant, breath-held waiting game. And there'd be no real living taking place there at all. What a paradox.
Also, sometimes the things that would be beautiful and perfect in that stationary moment before it all comes crashing down AREN'T things that last. They're not things that are meant to be in the long term. Thinking of this great "what if" can't sustain real life, I guess. Or maybe it can, and I just haven't figured out how to make it work yet.

So, I think it's probably a balance. A balance of sifting through and finding what things you want that you're just holding yourself back from (things that you've made excuses about too many times, things that you haven't done or let yourself have because you've let other things get in the way...) and doing them, and sorting those things out from living your real life, the life you have now. The life that's not a "what if" or a wish or a should've or anything else. What you really, really have to deal with and keep living. (Whether you like it or not.)

And when the actual moment comes, well... Live like you're dying.

(PS. I know exactly what I would do.)