We are inundated with hundreds of choices every day, from the time we get up until the time we go to bed, including what time to get up and, well . . . what time to go to bed. What do I wear? What kind of car do I drive? “What and Where do I eat? What do I drink? (Why did I drink so much?) Where do I go on vacation? Where do I worship? Where do I live?
Etc. (and a lot of etc.)

Here is a choice that many of us may never consciously ask ourselves; “Am I living life to the fullest?” When we are younger and healthy we just live, we just are, without giving much thought to it. As we get older and responsibilities become vaster and life gets more demanding. Just between job and family and all that entails is enough to make your head spin.

It’s interesting that people who seem to “have it all”; cars, money, homes, boats etc. are slaves to their ways. They have “all the stuff” with not a lot of time to utilize much of it. Are they living life to the fullest?

I share all of this general observation for a simple reason of contrast. I am a single 55-year-old man, no family of my own, and living with stage 4 colorectal cancer. I don’t know how much time I have on this planet this time around but I find that things are more precious and vivid and more colorful; sunrises, sunsets, raindrops, butterflies. I also embrace more conversation. I am more at peace with myself and calmer in hectic situations. I think that in addition to being blessed with the “proverbial wake-up call” of pending mortality and giving more thought to “living with cancer” than “dying from it.” I am living life to it’s fullest in a way I never did before. My example is a simple one and probably a very common one. My wish is that more people take the time and live “their” life to the fullest, whatever that means to them, before a wake-up call.