So I’ve been hanging with my mother at an assisted living facility in Providence, RI.
Being here, it’s impossible not to bear witness to the inescapability of aging, illness and death. 
The place is beautiful, it’s very comfortable, it’s warm and it’s friendly. It’s just not a happy place. Although I guess you can’t expect it to be. As I said to a friend recently, “It’s a place where people come to die”.
Sitting here day after day, it’s easy to become convinced that suffering lay at the end of all physical existence. It’s certainly not a positive thought, but it’s one that’s been weighing heavily on this wingman’s mind lately.
It’s hard not to. I see it everywhere I turn.
In the battle of our flesh and blood, time is undefeated.
And in speaking with these elders, the battles drain their energy, and worse, their hope.
Which brings me back to the title of this blog. After leaving my mom late last night, I got home in time to watch one of the all time great movies, “The Shawshank Redemption”.
The movie is about the enduring power of hope, and if you haven’t seen it, I urge you to do so.
Anyway, in one of the classic scenes from the movie, Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne, tells Morgan Freeman’s character, Ellis “Red” Redding…
“I guess it comes down to a simple choice really.
Get busy living, or get busy dying”.
Get busy living, or get busy dying.
I loved it as soon as he said it.
Now I’ve seen this movie many times, and surely have heard the quote before. But this time it really resonated for me.
Maybe because I’m sitting around, watching people “getting busy dying”.
When I heard it last night, I’m not even sure I knew what it meant.
But it reverberated in my mind, so I tried it as one of my practices by saying it over and over again for one minute.
And guess what.
Every time I said it, I started thinking about getting busy living.
What does that mean?
Well, to me…
It means making the most of my life, while I still can.
It means living with gratitude. Everyday.
It means finding my passion. And following it.
It means coming up with a goal, and planning how to achieve it.
It means doing what I love, or finding something I love in what I do.
It means helping others.
It means exploring all this world has to offer.
It means focusing on today, on this moment.
It means connecting with others.
It means practicing positivity and raising my vibration.
What does it mean to you?
Please join me in doing this practice and see what comes up for you.
To Getting Busy Living,
Michael
Btw… I do my wingman practices each morning and if you would like to join me for a minute of positivity you can do so on Twitter, @wingmanmichael, on Facebook, at Be Your Own Wingman, or on YouTube, at beyourownwingman.
