A lesson from the brink

I had a relatively severe allergic reaction last Friday and ended up going to the hospital.

For about 45 minutes I was convinced that I was going to die which, obviously and thankfully, turned out not to be true.

It’s been interesting to reflect on this experience since: feeling like you are truly on the brink of death is a far more effective reminder of what is important in life than the contemplation of a demise that, however real, still feels elusive.

It made me realize that we tend to have a romanticized notion of settling our affairs. Or at least I did. We assume, and sometimes imagine, that we will conveniently have the time needed to say what needs to be said — to resolve what needs to be resolved — when in reality it’s a coin toss.

Maybe we will, maybe we won’t.

Instead of counting on having enough time, maybe it’s instructive to at least consider that we might not.

What could and should you do differently then? How would your priorities change? What silly stuff would you learn to let go? What important stuff would you learn to hold on tighter to?

After this event, I find myself having paradoxical wishes — on one hand I really want a long and healthy life and on the other I hope I will never be so foolish as to live my life taking for granted that I will.