I recall that I would go about (mechanically) through each day, through the motions, retiring one day and repeating the same programmed motions the next day. I suppose you can say that I did not feel really alive. Then, two tragic events occured, which turned my world upside down. A very dear and close relative was diagnosted with a brain tumor. Another relative was detected to have clogged heart arteries, which required a quadruple bypass. These two special people are very fortunate, as they were treated and are with us today.

I made a conscious decision to interpret these events as an opportunity to evaluate my own life. So, I decided that I wanted to feel alive, very alive. So, I identified two key areas that are truly important to me, health and family. As a result of now being alive, everything, including life, tastes better. I no longer feel that I’m allowing the clock of life to spin rapidly with no true purpose. Rather, I look at each moment as an opportunity to live my life to the fullest.

Do you feel alive?