This past weekend I was told the unfortunate news that one of my “young” uncles had suffered a massive stroke and had passed away in hospital very soon after. It really hit home for me how short life can really be. My uncle was only 63 years old. That’s only 13 years older than I am now!

The whole event has reminded me of the loss of my own parents who were young as well. My father was a month away from turning 60 and my mother was only 58 when she died of cancer. Although I was in my 30s at the time, I suddenly felt orphaned and I was keenly aware that I had to be a full fledged adult. All through my 20s and into my 30s there was always that comfortable feeling in the back of my mind that if I needed advice, help with the kids, or if I got sick, my Mom would always be there to come help me with whatever problem or issue I might be having. It never dawned on me during those years that it could all change so very quickly. My parents were young and I thought I would have many years with them, but suddenly they were gone…within a couple of years of each other. Their deaths made me realize how important it is to try to live life to its absolute fullest and to not let a single day pass without doing something fun that I enjoy. To follow my own dreams. Much like most people I still needed to work and raise my children and pursuit of my dreams was repeatedly pushed to the back burner until a better time.

With the passing of my uncle,I am once again reminded to live life. Death and mortality are topics no one wants to discuss outside of the event of someone’s imminent or recent passing, though every day we are one day closer to our own.

The time has come for me to face my own mortality.

We all die. There’s no escaping it. But there are things we can do to prolong life. And one of those things is the pursuit of personal happiness. It reinforces the importance of this outlet for me to document that journey and to share those events with the rest of the world, perhaps giving someone else the motivation to go after their own dreams with gusto.

What dreams have you been leaving on the back burner? What’s on your to do list? Has a major loss motivated you to go after what you want? I’d love to hear those stories as well.