Aren’t you glad you’re alive? I mean really ALIVE! Think about it for a moment: if you breathe in deeply right now, what fragrances drift through your nostrils? Turn your head and slowly scan your gaze all around you. How many details are your eyes absorbing? And when was the last time you dug your fingers deep into rich soil to plant a seed or when did they reach out and gently stroke the soft petal of a rose? Have you run through the sprinklers and then laughed your heart out? Didn’t that feel incredibly good,  to the very depths of your soul? What did you eat for lunch today? Did you taste every unique flavor and then savor the flavors blended together in your mouth? Aren’t you glad you’re alive?

Think about the year: the seasons, the holidays and festivities, the week and the tradition of the weekend, the months and the memories that come with them – some good and some painful. These are all a given part of being human, being a member of society, being alive. They are things that are easily taken for granted because they are as routine as breathing – oh yeah, breathing! What a miracle that is! Hold your breath and you are suddenly aware of the fragility of your existence, yet we breathe without even thinking about it. Incredible, isn’t it, how many things we do and experience without giving them a second thought. Taking in the glorious blue of the sky, the sparkle of dew drops on green leaves, the sounds of birds chattering about the new day, the flood of colors that surround the outdoors we walk through to get from point A to point B.  These are all beautiful backdrops to the center stage of stress, anxiety, fatigue, anger, frustration and rushing, rushing, rushing. All of those negative characters that make us consider wishing we weren’t alive.

Stop, breathe deeply and place your hand over your heart: not as a pledge to flag and country but as a pledge to life. It’s time for the backdrops, the soundtracks and the lighting to sweep you off your feet and put you back on the stage; the stage that was all yours when you were a kid and knew how amazing life is – pure and simple. Be alive today!