Living vs Existing

So many people become caught up in the monotonous trap of existing through what they perceive life to be.  They wake up and start their normal routine; eat the same breakfast, take the same route to work, eat lunch at the same restaurant, finish work, take the same route home, have the same dinner, watch the same TV shows, sign on to the same website, go to sleep and wake up only to do it all over again the very next day.  Some people even consider themselves happy with the comfort of such a routine.  To this I have to ask:  when is the last time you laughed so hard it made you belly hurt? ​

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When is the last time you helped an old lady cross the street?  When is the last time you felt a sense of accomplishment?  When is the last time you felt unique or special?  When is the last time you felt real joy?  When is the last time you felt like you really mattered to someone else?  When is the last time you learned something new and grew as a person?

Sometimes we get stuck in our comfort zones and forget to actually live!  Maybe it is because we like the certainty of knowing exactly what to expect out of the safe and secure life we have built.  To me it is really just a cop out when we function through an existence and forget how to live.  Are we really that afraid of change?  Possibly even scared of being hurt again…and doesn’t that life of comfort become stifling and painful within itself?  This is a form of self isolation we create by choosing only to exist.

We exist because we have to but we live because we choose to.  It is okay to crave something different.  It is okay to spice things up a little even if it just means taking the long way home.  While you are at it, stop to pick a wild flower from the side of the road and then give it to a complete stranger.  Sign up for dance lessons, reconnect with an old friend, make a new friend, plant a tree, get a pet, learn a new language, offer the neighbor to help bring in the groceries, buy a new outfit, change your hair color, something, anything, please just try something new!

So stop and look around, what small changes can you make in your life?  Think of three, just three things you can do differently that will make you smile.  Now go do them and when you are done maybe, just maybe, you will be ready to date again!

THIS is the difference between living and existing…

​Regards,