Friends, more than 151,000 people die every day across this planet. That's the entire population of Tallahassee, every 24 hours. Two people every second. More than 100 every minute. Disasters like that which occurred in Oklahoma yesterday are tragic, but when you step back to take in the global perspective, they are also tragically commonplace. Just as common are those who die of disease, like Zach, the teenager from the video I posted earlier this morning. And if you are lucky enough to die, not from something that snuck up and blindsided you, but rather from perfectly natural causes, the odds are it will still catch you by surprise, unprepared, with your proverbial bucket list overwhelmingly and manifestly incomplete.

Based on when I was born, my gender, and the average life expectancy of those in my area of the world, the website Carpe Diem says I have 1901 weeks left to live. Of course, it cannot figure in my personal medical history, any bad habits I may indulge, or that I may be struck by a drunk driver on the way home from work tonight. It is a rough, but accurate, estimate of how much time I have left on this breathtaking planet with you. According to the graph, in which each point represents a single week, I have already passed the half way mark. If you factor in time spent sleeping and working, the weeks I have left shrink precipitously.

1901 weeks. That's it. That's all. 1901 weeks left to live irrepressibly and to love extravagantly, assuming I actually indulge either one. It's both sobering and rejuvenating. There's nothing like catching sight of the finish line, no matter how far off in the distance, to put the entire race--both that which has come before and that which still lies ahead--into perspective. Go to http://theblog.de/projects/carpediem to discover this perspective for yourself. And, please, act accordingly.

Reply · Report Post