How you live today is how you live your life. The third tattoo I got was for this quote (it’s just the word Today). When I first heard this phrase, I thought what the hell does that even mean. Then I thought about it and it began to saturate my days. How I live today is how I live my life. Duh. If I live today negative, and tomorrow negative, and another day next week negative, when my time comes, I would have lived my life being negative. Even if it is a small complaint. If I complain today, less tomorrow, but more the next, I have spent my life complaining. What is the point of that?
I believe there is a difference between complaining and communicating. Communicating something – even if it’s negative – is still healthy in moderation. Getting things off your chest is important! But you have to consider, is this [stress, disappointment, frustration] worth the degree of which I’m complaining? I like to think: if you get thrown into a pool, you deserve to complain about being wet. But if you are sitting in a pool and complaining about being wet, that is just silly.
There are also things outside of your control. For example, do I really want to live my life working a 9-5? No. Is my life going to be lived in a 9-5 today? Yep. But, as far as I know, I am still going to die. I’d rather work than die (most days). So, even though I may not truly be in the best version of my life at this moment, how I live today is still how I live my life. I would like to live my life with joy. Humor. Connection. So, I must live today looking for it.
I go to my 9-5, which is really 8-4, and I try to live my day like it’s my last (again, not my ideal last day on Earth, but you never know and you don’t exactly get to decide). I remind myself this is my life; TODAY is my life. Every word I say and breath I breathe is my life. Right now. Life. Life is not what happens at the end of your journey on Earth. Life is happening right now. We forget this, but it’s true.
Some days I let my life live itself. I coast on auto-pilot. I say forget it and I am quiet. It’s okay to do this every once in a while. But eventually, when I am rested, I wake up and I live my life because it’s mine! And how I live today is how I live my life!