A privilege to be here

Today would have been the birthday of a college friend who passed away a few years ago.

Lately I’ve been complaining about being more stressed than usual. I can’t help but think that this friend, who loved life and lived it fully, would gladly trade places and take on all this stress — perhaps more even — if it meant they could still be here.

I am reminded that it is a privilege to be here, and that between the choice of being exactly where I am with all the stress that I have and not being here at all, I would gladly and without hesitation choose being here every single time.

We don’t need to love life’s difficulties to appreciate the fact that we are lucky to be living and to be able experience life’s ups and downs at all.

I am reminded of an old podcast where a US Navy officer, Jocko Willink , explains why he works so hard and lives every day to the fullest — he said of his fallen brothers, “they don’t have the opportunity to do the things we do. They don’t have the opportunity to get up in the morning… I won’t fail those guys.”

Giving every day your best isn’t just about embracing the privilege of living, it’s also a way of honoring the lives of those close to us who lost the privilege far too soon.