Live Like You're Living?

There’s nothing like a faux near death experience to make you assess your life. Last Saturday night I woke up at 10:30 with chest pains. Assuming it was just indigestion I took a couple of Tums and waited. After an hour I began to wonder. I thought of my Uncle Eddie who woke up with “indigestion”. By the time his wife came back from the medicine cabinet he was dead. Most of my uncles died of heart attacks in their 50’s and early 60’s. After two hours I reran the day’s events. My wife and younger son were gone for the day for a Confirmation Retreat. My elder son and I cleaned out the flooded cellar and cleared winter debris from the yard with a four wheeler and wagon. It was beautiful outside for the first time in a long time. My son suggested we shoot our bows for a while which was a pleasant surprise. We shot some to sight in and then took shots from distances we would never try in the woods. It was great. Then we went to Mass in order to have a Sunday with no obligations. All in all a pretty good day.
By hour three without any relief, and my wife by now awake and worried , it was time to go to the ER. If you ever want to get fast service at the ER there are two choices: arrive in an ambulance or say you have chest pains. After a few checks of blood pressure, temp etc. they gave me some nitro. The pain vanished. After more tests including a stress test that afternoon, a heart problem was ruled out. It was an esophageal spasm. A very expensive tummy ache.
But what if it was my last day? Dying after a calm day with family and going to church? Boy did I luck out! It would sure beat a day of pointless argument and waking up (or not waking up) on the couch. Or going to bed angry after battling my sons’ teenage rebellion with no one in the house happy. It all ends up being the luck of the draw. The only ones who know exactly when they die are condemned prisoners and suicides. Not a group anyone aspires to. It would be impossible to live each day as your last. Staring at each sunset and sunrise as you hug your family while professing unending love to your spouse and treating your fellow man with love and respect? Every day? It would be completely incompatible with earning a living or even driving! Moderation in all things is supposed to be the key to happiness. Although “live like you’re dying “ made a teary country song, it lacks practicality. This experience does make it easier however to put work, bills, deadlines, news and financial woes in their proper place.