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Focusing on What Matters This Year and Always

Oct 25, 2020 1:00:00 PM

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When life doesn’t go as planned, we can often fall into the trap of wishing we’d done things differently. 2020 has really put us to the test, giving us more time than ever to consider our choices and the way we live our lives. That’s why it feels especially important this year to share something that helps us put things in perspective.

Some time ago, my business partner Mark Watson and I came across a poem that struck a chord with both of us. Entitled The Dash Poem by Linda Ellis, it discusses the importance of living life to the fullest in “the dash,” the time we get between birth and death. It challenges us to do better and to not be afraid to change to embrace the life we’ve always imagined.

This Thanksgiving, remember to be thankful for your loved ones, and make time to show them how much they matter. Read the poem below for inspiration. May we all keep these words in mind as we gather with friends and family and celebrate the little things that each new day brings us.

thdash


The Dash

Poem by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.

To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile…remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?


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