“Children FEEL life. They smell it, roll in it, run with it, see it all around them. Feel the world through the eyes of a child.” – Anonymous. I remember thinking that there was nothing better in life than a Mr Whippy ice cream and a go on the trampoline. Actually, to be honest, not much has changed – I was a wise child! What do you remember as a child thinking ‘this is the BEST thing ever’? And what now brings back that feeling of being alive?
I did a quick ‘straw poll’ on some of my friends, and these are the things that make them feel alive: “Sunshine, puppy dogs, laughing and being at the seaside.” “Planning things like a holiday or a trip to see family, meeting up with people I haven’t seen for ages.” “Loud music, a sunny day, the sea, laughing, flirting.” “Being with my kids – they really know how to squeeze every drop of fun out of one moment.” (I LOVE this!)
“Dancing, laughing, being with nature, crying, walking in the rain and wind, being somewhere different, teaching, acting and loving.” “Sunshine, peace & quiet, contentment, feeling thin, having places to go, freedom, change of routine” “An open road and the stereo turned up” “Challenging myself, travelling, singing at the top of my voice, standing on a hilltop and shouting, playing sports” (plus a few things which would probably trigger your e-mail filters!)
I noticed that none of them said “working”, “watching tv”, “being stressed”. How curious…not. I also noticed that none of them are expensive, difficult, or particularly time consuming – and yet they’re the very things that get relegated to the bottom of the priority pile. Life just gets in the way of feeling alive. Unless of course, you decide to make it more of a priority. Unless you decide that you’re going to live a bit before you die.
And why wouldn’t you? There is nothing better than feeling alive – and all too often, the only time we think about feeling alive is when Death brushes us. Don’t wait for the shock of losing someone close to you or the wake up call of a health scare. Start paying attention to feeling alive right now. Today. This minute. Here. Picture it for a moment: Picture yourself, feeling alive, smiling joyously, really living. You can probably remember a time not too long ago when you did feel alive. Did it feel good enough to do it again?
What makes you feel life? Make a list. What can you do this week that connects you with that feeling of being truly alive? Keep that list handy, and do the things from it that make YOU feel alive. And leave me a comment here – what makes you feel alive?
Love
Donna.x