25 years ago Oasis released ‘Definitely Maybe.’ Hearing this announced on the news this morning made me feel very old. It also brought memories of listening to the album on my ancient CD Walkman while walking to my first ‘proper’ job all those years ago. I was incredibly nervous but the music helped me to enter the premises and start a career which has taken me to where I am today.
If it wasn’t for that job I wouldn’t have the job I currently hold, met Fionnuala, got married, raised a family or all the other life events which have flew by in the last quarter of a century. Quarter of a century! Now I feel even older, like I should be in a museum or a dusty crypt. I’ve achieved a lot but know there is still so much to do, to cram into the time I’ve left on this little planet we call home.
Some bright sparks are marking the release of this iconic album by producing a musical based on the music and story of the band. It’s been provisionally titled ‘Live Forever,’ after one of their most famous hits. There are times I wish I could live forever or at least for much longer than our current lifespans. Oh, to be Methuselah who was 969 when he popped his clogs back in Genesis. What a guy he must have been.
Methuselah must have seen and crammed a lot into his time on earth. I wonder if he worried that his elongated existence wasn’t enough, if there was stuff still left undone when he breathed his last. I’d like to think there wasn’t and he died a contented man, surrounded by family and loved ones, and secure in the legacy he was leaving behind. Instead of worrying about living forever he lived for now.
Thanatophobia is the fear of dying. Also known as death anxiety, it is an affliction that affects many of us. The aggravating factor is that, by worrying so much about what he haven’t achieved we are losing our focus on what we are capable of in the here and now. Fretting about the future leads to decision inertia in the present. We freeze and fritter away the precious days and weeks we should be squeezing every last drop from.
Instead of day dreaming about living forever we should be living for now. So many are swallowed whole by the disappointment of what they haven’t achieved when they should be concentrating on the the potential for what is still possible, probable even, if they apply themselves fully to what is staring them in the face now. Hope is one of the strongest emotions we have, we need to release it’s power into our lives.
I read so many blogs where people are frustrated and struggling, where they are on the verge of quitting. Their dreams have been crushed, ground into the dirt by this juggernaut we call life. They’ve pulled the plug on their grand plan for life, flicked the off switch, turned out the lights. Some are so young as well, they still have so much to offer and achieve. They’ve given up on their stories as I’m still reading the prologue.
Live for now. Small steps, one at a time. Break your goals and targets down into bite size, manageable chunks. Even if it’s just getting out of bed and taking basic care of yourself. It’s a start, a step in the right direction. The present is life, it’s not behind or in front of you. Make the most of every minute you have for every minute is a new chance, a new start. Don’t live forever, for that’s a fairytale.
Live for now.
Black Thoughts 
Yes! A valid and important challenge!!
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Thank you Ruth. I hope you’re enjoying your travels 🙂
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My goal these days is to live in the NOW, to embrace the Presence of the One who created me in all I do and say. Your message today reminds me of an AA ditty which I love:
When you put one foot forward with your worries,
And the other foot backward with your regrets
You pee on the present!
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Only AA could come up with that 😂
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Yes, I’ve heard this message before. But what’s important is that I’m hearing it today, this morning, and I need it to make me see again that a small step forward is still a step forward. So thanks for being there in my inbox this morning giving me the message I need to hear, over and over again it would seem. Thank you so much.
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You’re very welcome Jan. I’m pleased my words struck a chord with you 🙂
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I liked your commentary on Methuselah. Never thought about him that way. I’m 68 and your post really ministered to me. Thanks.
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You’re welcome Dan. Thank you for reading 🙂
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Striking the chords Stephen….
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“Live for now. Small steps, one at a time. Break your goals and targets down into bite size, manageable chunks. Even if it’s just getting out of bed and taking basic care of yourself. It’s a start, a step in the right direction. The present is life, it’s not behind or in front of you.”
THIS is what makes the difference between harming yourself irreparably and getting through. You wanted to know what you could do to drop the horrific loss of life in Belfast? Get this post out to the kids, the worn down, the lost. Let them know that it’s a bad moment, not a bad eternity. If this post had been in my life at several low points, I feel there would have been less pull to give up on it all. Keep writing, thinking, and sharing. You’re making a difference.
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This is so beautiful. I love this so much, and it’s quite inspirational too. Thank you.
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You’re welcome. Thank you for your kind words 🙂
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Amen, brother. Sage guidance. Sometime you will have to tell me the meaning of the phrase, “Popped his clogs.” It sounds dangerous.
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It’s a term to describe the recently deceased 😬
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I truly appreciate these words! Blessings
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You’re welcome Brittney. Thank you for reading 🙂
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I felt just as you did when I realised that Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World,” (one of my favourite songs) was 26 years old! Enjoyed reading your thoughts
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Thank you. I remember that song 😬
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I loved reading this post – the idea of breaking goals and life down into sizeable chunks is something i’ve taken on board recently – Thank you for writing 🙂
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You’re very welcome. Thank you for reading 🙂
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The thought of living forever is a horrible one! While I’m not looking forward to the process of dying, the thought of death doesn’t scare me – but maybe because I am not yet facing up to the inevitability of it. I have the feeling that I won’t make old bones anyway, and that the BastardCancer will get me in the end. But until it does I will try to live for the moment!
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You do that. Every new day is an adventure.
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👏
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I never knew there was a word for death anxiety. Thanatophobia. Interesting.
I believe this “death anxiety” is partly to blame for all the religious cults humans have created. People are anxious about dying so they need to believe there is a heaven to ascend up to.
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That’s certainly one theory.
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This post is exactly what I needed to read.
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Glad to hear it helped.
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Thank you.
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You’re welcome 🙂
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