Wake Up And Live Your Life With Blissful Abandonment
By David Wygant
So, last night I was able to go to the Coldplay concert, which was just phenomenal. Yeah, yeah, I know what they said about Coldplay in “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” but I like Coldplay for a few different reasons.
I like Coldplay because they play with such passion, which made their concert last night a really great experience. You know, right in the middle of the show, Chris Martin of Coldplay said ‘Nothing is better than going out, standing there in front of all these people, creating great energy and playing with all of your best friends.’ That is what life is all about!
Life is about enjoying yourself. Life is about experiencing things. Life is about having fun with your friends. Life is not about chasing people you want to come into your life; life is about attracting people into your life.
It was an amazing thing to be in The Forum last night, which is saying a lot. For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Forum in Los Angeles, it is just an absolutely awful and outdated arena. It was cool, though, being there last night with about 20,000 people who were laid back and just having a good time.
No, this blog is not about giving you a wake-up call to buy Coldplay concert tickets (although I certainly would recommend their show). This wake-up call was inspired by the combination of the realizations I experienced at the concert and some other realizations I’ve made in the last few days.
Some things have happened to me in recent days that really rocked my world. I’ve been doing a lot of traveling, enjoying myself a little bit and, of course, working. I was in Santa Fe last weekend and was in Hawaii before that. While I was in Hawaii, the woman who sits for my six year-old English Lab Daphne noticed a lump on her belly. Although the lump was not new, it had been small and had not previously changed in size.
When I returned home, I saw that the lump had indeed gotten bigger so I took Daphne to the vet. The vet looked at it and didn’t want to do anything, but I made her aspirate it anyway. During my Santa Fe trip, the lab report came back which showed that there were mast cells in the cyst that was aspirated.
Now, mast cells in a dog can be either malignant or non-malignant. I actually have been learning all about them over the last several days. Although there seem to be conflicting medical viewpoints on what Daphne’s lab results mean and although I really didn’t think there was anything wrong with her, at this point I thought it would be better to just take the lump out anyway.
I am figuring she will be okay. My fingers are crossed. What all of this makes you realize, though, is that life is very precious.
Life can be taken away from you at any moment. Everything that you love or have ever built – whether it’s relationships, animals or friends – can be lost in an instant. You don’t know what fate has in store for you.
You have no idea what’s going to happen to you on any single day. So why do so many people choose not to live life to the fullest every single day? Why do so many people go through life like they’re in a coma?
It always amazes me how so many of us go through life like we’re here forever and like we have an unlimited amount of time to experience life. We live our lives as if no matter what we do and no matter what happens, we’re going to be here forever . . . but we’re not.
Not only are we not here forever, we could be here a much shorter time than we anticipate. Life is a gift, and it’s a gift that you need to embrace every single day.
I mean, this last week has been really tough for me – I had to go and research (and see pictures of ) this thing called a mast cell tumor, I had to talk to all sorts of people and doctors and vets trying to figure out whether my dog is sick. I wanted to make sure that Daphne gets the best attention, because I really don’t want to lose her.
What I’ve realized over these last days is that everything that is precious to me can be taken away in a second. So with that realization in mind, why don’t you enjoy everything you do to the max? Enjoy life! Enjoy the gift that is your life.
People spend so much time trying to chase members of the opposite sex and worrying about what to say or do when they see someone they want to meet. Just walk up to those people. Stop wasting your time with worry, and start experiencing.
Surrender yourself to the experience. That’s how you will live without regret.
I wrote a blog like this awhile back based on the movie “The Bucket List.” Well in this blog I’m going to talk about making other kinds of lists.
What if you made a list of all the things you are afraid of doing? How about a list of all the things you’ve been wanting to do “someday” but have never done? Why not start doing the things on these lists, because you never know when you’ll no longer be here.
As I’m walking Daphne right now and noticing how happy and content she is just sniffing the warm night air, I realize that this beautiful gift of this English Labrador may not be here forever. Although I am going to do everything in my power to make sure she is, I am also going to make sure that every moment she does have here is amazing. I am going to appreciate every moment I have with her.
It’s time for all of you get out of your comas and start looking at life as the gift that it is. Here’s your wake-up call!
Ok that was a heavy blog so todays video is all about being goofy and having fun!
David, you know how i know you’re gay? lol jk
But Daphne is definitely gonna be fine : ), its funny how we often don’t know how much of a blessing and gift life is, till something we value seem uncertain all the sudden.
Great blog!
Wake up call eh…?
Thanks you made me realize and remember how i should live my life
David,
You are absolutely right. Being goofy makes you happy because even though you are matured but you still think about that. Being goofy means being playful and you are telling everybody that you don’t care what other people think of you. You live your life the way you want it. Folks women are really attracted to this. You are also showing that you are confident and you can be whatever you want to me.
David,
I had a conversation with you yesterday over the phone. You and Kheim were really helpful. I explained you about this girl who is in my class. Below is my question.
How do I challege her?
Let say if I say that I make the best omlette and no body can beat me. If she accepted my challenge what should I say next. What should I ask for.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Tariq
Tariq,
I guess I should let David answer, but I’m feeling talkative so I’ll take a crack at it. I’m sure he’ll have something to add to my answer.
When David talks about challenging her, he doesn’t actually mean issuing a challenge (like “I bet you can’t beat me in a wrestling match” … even though that would be fun to do with a girl). I dated this girl once who always wanted to wrestle… but that’s a different story.
Challenging means questioning or teasing her in a playful way. So if you want to challenge her about omlettes, it might sound like this…
You: “So do you like cooking? I love cooking. Do you like it?”
Her: “Um, maybe… sometimes.”
You: “Yeah?… well that’s good. What’s your favorite thing to make? You like making omelettes?
Her: “Yeah, omelettes are good.”
You: “Perfect. I love omelettes. First thing, like on a Sunday morning? Mmmm. But the most important thing is what you put in them right… so what do you put in yours? You don’t put crazy stuff in there, do you? Like anchovies? or chili peppers? You put good stuff, right?
Her: “No, I put good stuff.”
You: “You do? Like what?”
Her: “Um, like cheese, mushrooms, and bell peppers, and basil… and sometimes I put apples in them too…”
You: “Apples? Really? That’s awesome, I never thought of that. Ok now I’m gonna share my super secret omlette recipe with you. Now you’re not gonna tell anyone right? Cuz this is super secret. My mom gave this recipe to me when I was a kid. I can trust you right?
Her: “Yeah, you can trust me.”
You: “You promise not to tell anyone?”
Her: “I promise.”
You: “Ok, good. I thought so… so here’s how it goes… first you…”
Ok, I told you I was feeling talkative. But the point is this conversation isn’t omlettes. You’re playing with her, and teasing her a little bit. You’re making her stand up for herself (gently) and give you more details. At the same time, the things you show your personality and sense of humor.
Flirting (aka challenging her) is like a pillow fight. The intent isn’t really to win or prove how hard you can swing the pillow. The game is its own purpose. You’re enjoying the exchange, not the competition.
– Patrick
Patrick’s post reminds me of a conversation I had the other day using phone texting. It was “about” miniature golf… But everything had a double meaning. When I felt a comment she made might not be in my best interest, I solidified the golf interpretation in the flow of the conversation. She then texted back “oh you were really talking about golf” to which I responded with a
You can ask her if she likes omelets, then if she does describe either cooking or eating one in a really suggestive manner. Then invite her over for a weekend brunch so she can describe your cooking in her own words. Tell her if you like her description you’ll take her to the park for a walk or an art museum afterwards.
Ken
those gotta be some of the ugliest glasses i have ever seen i always love making fun of ppl wearing them but i’ll give it to you they do get people’s attention..if thats what you’re going for…
ya mhudak, they reminds me of your big white sunglasses ;p
haha not even reynold mine are stunna glasses there’s a big difference =P
Life’s to short to live with worry
Hey David — AMAZING blog
But about the video … I know where I’ve seen those yellow glasses before — I believe they have a cameo appearance either in the movie “16 Candles” or “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
Great post David!
We must feel grateful for what we have and experience it to the fullest.
Unfortunately most people only think in what they don’t have instead of thinking and appreciating what they already have.
Live and do things for the things themselves, and not because of an end result.
PS: Man, you have to come to Portugal…