WHY VALUE MORE THE GIFT OF WAKING UP

​Dear Why Team member, 

Wrapped nicely and tied with a bow or…not, who doesn’t like (pleasant) gifts?  But have you ever considered that no other gift in your life can be appreciated if you are not alive and awake to appreciate it?

How many people today are alive, but still sleeping, dreaming of a past and/or future, not present in the abundant here-and-now?

Feeling privileged for just being alive in this moment should fuel a great sense of joy. 
Stop. Think about it and feel it!!

From joy-filled abundance we find ourselves able to give more, realizing even more how much we have to give. But do you feel the current abundance and if not Why Not?

Many years ago, I heard that youth is wasted on the young.  I remember thinking I'm not going to waste my youth.  Fortunately, I have come to know that youth is a state of mind.  
There are plenty of old-thinking young people as there are plenty of young-thinking old people.
Why young thinking old people?
Maybe they have greater appreciation for the gift?!

My mother was in outpatient Hospice for two years.  Think about that - Hospice is only steps away from the end - or the beginning, depending on your beliefs.  The other day I heard someone say that his Dad was in Hospice only one day before he died.  How did my Mother live another two years on death’s doorstep?
I believe it was her joy and gratitude for The Gift, the gift of a new day.
For her, in her mind, every day was a bonus -another day to connect with her children, her grandchildren, her friends, an opportunity to learn, live and appreciate the wonder of life and a way to continue to give, even though by that time much was taken from her- physically speaking. Each New Day was incredibly valuable life-time for her.

Let not the fears of tomorrow, also known as worry, steal the joy available to you today.
Today you live - are you grateful?
If not, why not?
Are you wasting your youth?
Does today not hold endless possibilities?
If you are depressed, feeling pressed down, try getting up and moving; momentum alone will start to reveal possibilities.

Remember the saying.. "What a difference a day can make"?  Can you persevere enough to experience that difference?  When you find yourself experiencing joy, take a moment to reflect on the time you were so very sad and never forget that the Sun did eventually follow the storm.
Allow the full range of your emotional experience without losing the knowing that it is the nights that make those sunny days all the more bright.

Consider every morning, being more like a child on Christmas morning, opening the present of a New Day.  No other gift compares; imagine the opportunity to get absolutely every material item you desire, money, cars, houses, but you can’t wake up the next day - no one would make that trade - thus waking up is more valuable than all those possessions.
The Medieval Latin Christians liked to reflect on mortality: Living Memento Mori (Latin: “remember that you have to die"). Remember that you have to die so that you live today with more gratitude - as tomorrow is promised to no one. Remember that many did not even live to receive this new day and many others will not receive it with gratitude. 
Do we have to come to the end of our life to truly appreciate it?  Notice how those who have been blessed with a near death experience often come to live a life transformed by the experience.  In a flash, they often see what really matters to them.

Open your mind and heart all the more to the wonderful Gift of this New Day.
Consider a discipline of gratitude for a New Day every new morning - and no doubt through your practice of appreciation - you, yourself, will come to be more of a gift to all those you encounter - a reminder that each day is our BEST DAY EVER!!

Steve Luckenbach