“Accepting the Challenge of Life”

With the gift of life comes a personal responsibility to live fully. There’s that loaded word again – responsibility. Love it, or hate it, the word responsibility tends to carry a bunch of baggage that it probably doesn’t deserve. If we look at the word on its own, without all the negative baggage we heap upon it, we are left with “the ability to respond”. And so, our ability to respond to life by living fully, no longer seems like a drag or a chore. In fact, it seems like something fun to be responsible for. I’d much rather be responsible for living fully, than dying slowly, because the latter state of being doesn’t sound like much fun at all. How do we live fully as responsible human beings? In my opinion, enjoying life on life’s terms is a great place to start. Live this life without wishing things were different, or hoping for changes that will likely never come without your responsible interaction in the game. I have yet to talk to a person that has a definitive answer to the question of where we go when we die and leave this place, so it seems to be a sensible decision to enjoy your time here, just in case there is no next place. And if you happen to be one who is waiting this life out, in constant anticipation of the next life (hopefully in heaven), then I would contend that gratitude and appreciation for this lifetime (this moment) will go a long way toward getting you past St. Peter’s checkpoint. If you decide to accept the responsibility to live fully in this lifetime, then along with that decision comes the challenge of life. The challenge of life is to figure out how to thrive in whatever environment, circumstance or situation you find yourself in. When you accept the challenge, making the conscious decision to thrive in this life at this time, you are in turn accepting the responsibility to take care of your body and spirit, so you may enjoy the gift you’ve been given, here and now. The miraculous gift of life.

There is a way to create peace within. Peace within, translates and migrates to peacefulness without, a living peacefulness without limit.