A Few Things that Death has Magnified for Me

In a slight departure from triathlon content, it seemed like a good day to write some of this stuff down. Ah--the luxury of having the time to think about this stuff! I'm so lucky!

Some or all of the following may appear to be clichés. But remember, sometimes a cliché is just something you haven’t personally experienced.

1. Things aren’t important. People are important.
2. The color of death may be black, but, a girl (moi) can't have too many wacky swimsuits or nail polish colors. I need lots of color in my life--certain colorful things, colorful experiences and colorful people. This is something that I don't think will ever change about me.
   
3. What I sometimes think of as my greatest weaknesses (and I have plenty) can become my greatest strengths in a pinch.
4. While it’s most important to live in the here and now, a little tape rewind for review purposes isn’t bad, either. Things I haven’t thought about or remembered in years are coming back to me. I was organizing some athletic wear this morning, decided I needed a bunch of hangers, and it turned into finally deciding I could let go of a bunch of dresses that I sewed over the years. In taking each one off the hanger and throwing it onto a pile, I could remember wearing it and that point in my life.
5. Learning how to let go of things, thoughts and reactions to experiences never stops, and it makes you much stronger. This is probably the biggest lesson of death that I can think of.
   
6. Every now and then, it's good to have a few glasses of good wine, turn off all the lights, put on the flashy shoes, and sing and dance by myself. It's a marker of being in a good place. And then go out and dance with friends. Soon, very soon...
   
7. I’ll take a couple of close friends over a pile of meaningless acquaintances any day. Not that I don't appreciate the blogging world--I do, but keep perspective.
   
8. Keep trying new things—even something that on the surface seems like a crazy idea might, under the right circumstances, be the best idea after all.
9. It’s OK to leave certain projects unfinished. They must not have been that important in the first place, right?
10. Giving or receiving one moment of genuine kindness or joy can erase 10 times your suffering.
11. Every moment of every day is an opportunity to look at yourself in the mirror and ask whether you are doing your very best for yourself. Because if you can’t do that, you can’t do it for anyone else.
12. Fire anyone that isn’t living up to your expectations or is toxic to your well-being—business associates, friends, lovers, family members. Life is too short.
13. You don’t need to be liked by everyone. But being respected is divine.
14. Don’t care what other people think of you. Just care about other people.
15. Keep moving. When you stop moving, you’re dead.

I love NothingMan, but boy--do I need to do a real race. T-6 weeks!