Learning to embrace life’s fleeting moments

I love to watch the unfolding of the dawn and the closing of the dusk. We can compare life to these two events that we witness every day but often miss because of how busy our lives can be. There are times when I just look up at the sky and realize just how fleeting our lives are. We are so preoccupied with unnecessary things that we somehow lose the real meaning of our existence. We fill our days with schedules, appointments, and meetings, and every now and then we stop and feel exhausted. When we stop, we realize our lives are running, running, but when we look, it seems that we are not heading in any direction. When I see people at their deathbeds as a nurse and look into their eyes, I see that look— that look of regret. It has a profound impact on me as I continue on this journey, heading toward the end of my own life too. Those looks of regret that I see in my patients' eyes help me reflect on my own life and think about where I am going and what I am doing with this short life. The brevity of life causes me to stop at every moment and feel everything that comes my way. I try to be present. I try to look into people's eyes. I try to listen—really listen—and I try to laugh as much as I can, as hard as I can, because maybe it could be my last. The breaking of every dawn teaches me: could this be my last? And if so, how would I live this day?