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I read a piece by Mark Nepo today.  He talks about how birds don’t understand holding back or guaranteed return on investment.  Humans alone hold out for guarantees and as a result we “snuff the spark that is discovery”.

When I talk to people who have lived long lives or who have been told their days are numbered, the joy of their storytelling most often comes from the times in life where they played, worked, lived full out.  Their excitement grows as they share in the memories about how all their friends were afraid to ski down a certain hill, so they just had to take the risk and show them all how it was done.  They giggle with pure pleasure as they recall the bold moments of their lives. The memory of the fear, and also the courage, almost causes them to break out in a sweat recalling it still today.  But the smile on their faces as they recall the excitement makes everyone around them want to hear more.  You can’t help share in the joy as you  see that spark of mischief and the desire to do it all again today, if it were only possible! Rarely does anyone talk to me with any joy about the times they held back.  The times they let fear own their desire.  It is these stories they tell with regret and sadness and a desire to be able to relive those times and do it all again today - but oh so differently. Oh if they only could!

What we want at 80 is no different than what we want at 40.  We want the safety and security of a home, we want to love and be loved, we want to know our life has value and meaning.  We also want to sing & lift like the birds!  The safety and security of a home is being provided in many care settings today.  There are many wonderful people who work in these homes that truly love what they do and the people they care for and are loved in return.  But a sense of value and purpose comes from another place.  It comes from a place that honors and values all life.  A place where the curtains are wide open to welcome the light that allows us to sing and lift.  A bold place where experiencing life full force offers no  guarantees.  But a place where the return on our investment is measured by the joy we get from knowing our life matters and the fact that we’re having fun. It’s a place where everyone does their part because that’s how we get things done.  And where the harmony comes from celebrating each individual’s gift.

Risk is inherent in life.  Somehow the recognition of a measured time left here on earth brings a new sense.  This is the time when life truly affords us more courage.  Courage to be bold enough to do the things we’ve always wanted, knowing that it’s now or never.  The risk is outweighed by the reality.  This isn’t a time of life to resign ourselves to boredom or helplessness.  Just the opposite.  This is the time to take inventory - not in the traditional way of inventorying all the things we can no longer do, but inventory of all the things we can still do.  I think life would be  better if we all ask ourselves a question the musician Jana Stanfield (www,janastanfield.com) suggests:  “What steps would I take today, if I were brave?”  Whether you’re living, working, or investing in long term or hospice care, I think this world would look markedly different, more exciting and full of life, bold and beautiful, if we all take steps to shape the nature of care, as if we were brave.  Shaping the nature of care requires a bold movement.  Singing and lifting- ahhh… I think I can hear the birds.  And it is good.