This is Your Life

This Is Your Life; These Are The Terms; What's The Invitation?

I heard these words about a decade ago from Ian Cron, and they have never ceased to help me. On any day, at any time, in any mood, under any condition. Even during COVID-19. This is Your Life What does that mean? Well, you only get one life. This is it. The time is now to recognize that and engage. These are the Terms You were born somewhere. You live somewhere. You grew up in some sort of family. You have gifts and talents, and some weaknesses too. You have some sort of appearance. Your brain and body are yours only. You have a certain amount of money right now. These are the terms of your life. What's the Invitation What is God (or your higher power) inviting you to do? At this moment, in this period, this day, this hour, this second? What are you being asked to do? During a walk this week, I found the above leaf, and I thought it was beautiful: its incredible color, its highlighted veins, its size, weight, and feel. Then I turned it upside-down and suddenly it appeared to look like a pair of lungs. My pulse quickened, then my heart beat faster--it was like I felt the cortisol hit. Something so beautiful became completely different--and scary. My emotions changed instantly, and I felt powerless. A reminder. We are not what we were. I am not who I was. I took a breath and thought: This is Your Life These are the Terms What's the Invitation? My life and the terms had changed, for sure, but what was the invitation? My invitation at that moment was to refocus on God's beauty, appreciate that I was outside walking on a beautiful day, and to whisper a prayer for every single pair of lungs out there. How incredible that I am lucky enough to be able to do that? Thank you! Personally, these days I am helping many people by zoom, phone and FaceTime how to reframe their thoughts, dig into their negative self-talk, and consider how to move forward. What an invitation!