I was scrolling through news articles today and this one jumped out at me. As I read through the article several things begin to go through my mind. 

I was having lunch with a good friend and we were discussing life (as we always do) and how people's attachment to thing was weird to us. I wrote a blog post about dying with dignity and while this particular story isn't about that directly it does resonate. 

I want to hit on a few topics as it relates to the story of B and Dan. 

1. Focus on your own Family

2. One day the end will come

3. Emotional Attachment

Focus on your own Family 

It still amazes me how people get upset and have opinions about what happens in other people's lives that will never impact their life. In the video Dan's daughter raised this as well. She said, people who called themselves B's friend, were not happy with Dan's choice to have a significant other while she was still alive. Those same people would say what B would want but at the end of the day - never called or stopped by to see B. Be careful with people who enjoys talking about you but never talk to you. 

Echoing the same point, why is it that we demand that people live like we want to live?

"According to the golden rule (GR) you ought to
treat others as you want to be treated by them;
and according to the platinum rule (PR),
you ought to treat others as they want to be treated by you."
-SpringerLink

So at the end of the day - You Do You Boo!

One day the end will come

It is said and believed that no one gets out of here alive right? One day, your life will end, what then? Dan said that thing can and will go wrong in life and when they do - what will you do? Living a quality life is key to happiness, IMHO. As I was talking with my friend at lunch, we both agreed that if tomorrow was the end, we'd be 100% satisfied with what we've done. We both are giving life our best (not perfect) and as a result we are content.

Will I live to be 100 years old or older I dunno. However, my goal is to live a high quality of life as long as I am breathing. I focus on 6 key areas to do that daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly: 

• Health (Mental/Phsyical). It's paramount that we all work to maintain good health. The way we eat, think, sleep - are key to us doing everything else. 
• Finance. Yes - the love of money is the root of all evil, but money provides you the means to accomplish things in life. 
• Faith. Not all are religious but IMHO I believe having faith in something larger than yourself helps provide you a center.
• Relationship. We all have multiple roles (Child, Sibling, Friends, Employee, Employer, etc) and how we maintain those relationships impact the quality of our lives.
• Career/Education. Never stop learning and work to create value and make a difference in the lives around you. 
• Rest/Relaxtion/Recooperation. We all need a break in some shape, form, or fashion. How you choose to do that is up to you but you can't keep sawing without sharpening the saw. 

Emotional Attachment

I am sure the process of dating someone while your significant other is dying is not something many have done. That said - I do find it interesting how we attach ourselves emotionally to people, places, and things. I have great love for my family and friends, however, when its time for them to depart - I hope to celebrate that event. I have great appreciation for the things I have but I am not married to it. When I moved from Virginia to Dallas I sold everything I had. Why? Because it made good sense. I am a single guy and it's just my decision. Yes if I had a significant other, I'd have to take their desires into consideration as well; but I didn't have to. 

I tell people that I can sell my car tomorrow without any emotional attachment to it. Maybe I learned this habit from being in the Navy for 10 years. While serving in Hawaii - we would move barracks several times and each time - you pretty much got rid of everything except your Seabag. I've continued that tradition and am very happy I did. 

When my mom passed 2 years ago - I did the same. I loved her dearly and am grateful that I was able to spend 2 quality months by her bedside before she departed but I understood clearly that she would depart. I gave her the flowers, I told her how much she meant to me, and thanked her for providing for me. But I never desired to hold her here longer than she needed to be; 82 years young was her time to be here. 

My hope is that this story of Dan and B will stimulate you to think about your life not theirs. It's easy to have opinions and throw stones but my desire is that this influences you to do some self reflection. Maybe you will be in Dan's shoe one day, maybe in B's, or even the Daughter. I wish you all well and may you be the best you, you can be!