When I was 18 years old, a team of medical professionals told me that I would be lucky to live to see my 30th birthday. It took me six years to process that information and come up with an outlook on life that I would later come to call the Mortality Mindset. As I mentioned in my book, while I was coming to terms with the prognosis one of the toughest things I struggled with, was the realization that I would never have kids (and would likely never get married - who would want to say “I do” to a ticking time-bomb?).
Fast forward
It’s hard to believe that 2023 marks 20 years since I started speaking and writing about my experience and sharing the concepts of the Mortality Mindset. When I started in 2003 I was 33 years old - three years past my “expiry date”. I was also married and had a one year-old son. In 2005, just after my book was published, my daughter arrived.
A lot of my early blog posts and newsletters featured insights that came to me through my experiences as a parent looking at life through the eyes of my kids.
One that’s always stuck with me was about watching my son, in his highchair, thoughtfully and slowly eating a bowl of Cheerios. He was contemplating and savouring each individual Cheerio one at a time.
Another was when I was at a restaurant with the kids and my daughter, probably five or six years-old at the time, told me she didn’t actually want the Cesar salad, she just wanted the croutons. I smiled and explained that it doesn’t work that way. She smiled back and asked the waitress if she could have croutons. A few minutes later, the waitress arrived with a bowl of croutons! Clearly I was wrong - it CAN work that way if you ask.
Reminders
I’ve had an eventful August so far.
Two weeks ago, my daughter was rushed to the hospital by ambulance and admitted to the ICU for a severe asthma attack. She’d never had anything like this before and thankfully, the doctors were able to get it under control quickly. She left the hospital within a week! It was a harrowing week, but thankfully it ended well and provided yet another reminder to never take anything, for granted. Always let the important people know exactly how you feel!
Last week, my son turned 21. I took him for dinner and then for a couple of drinks. As we sat side by side at the bar, I thought back to the time when he sat beside me in his highchair, eating Cheerios. I swear it was just yesterday. A reminder that it all goes so quickly!
Patrick,
No question that time flies and our children become adults much before we are ever ready for it. I chuckle when I read again, past you expiration date. It is a reminder to treat every day as a blessing, and never take any time for granted. Sorry to hear about your daughter. Hope all is ok now.
Matthew
Moment by moment is the way to go. Savour each day and endeavour to live in the present.