Rivenrock Gardens Cactus Blog… go to www.rivenrock.com for edible cactus

Life is such an awesome experience. I’m humbled by the opportunities I’ve been given, and the trust that’s been shown to us by the people who trust us to provide them with good cactus.
In my life I’ve had the benefit to be raised by loving, caring and disciplined parents and good family. Just like a seedling, there’s nothing like getting off to a good start when small.
Appreciation and accountability is important in life. So too is an examination of life. The fellow who wrote this post speaks eloquently, succinctly, with heart and the ageless wisdom found in depth.
It touched me greatly…. and I wish to pass it on.

Have you ever filled out a form, and as soon as you turned it in you wished you’d added another line?
Ever spoken to someone, and when they drove off, you recalled something else you’d wanted to tell them?
LIFE is like that also….. when people are on their deathbed they think of their life and the people they loved….

It is said that no-one lays on their deathbed and complains that they should have put more hours in at work…. and striven harder for success..

Instead it seems the common wish expressed is one of sadness, that the dying did not fully live life, spend more time with family…. material posessions don’t really matter to people at the end…. and no matter how much money you made, you’ll never be able to fully stave off the end….

Here’s a good article, written by a hospice nurse…. she details some of the thoughts of the dying that she met during decades of this work…..

They break down to five concerns…

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never
became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a
result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical
details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end.
That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. When you are on your deathbed, what  others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

Don’t waste your life… live it
Don’t be a human ‘doing’…. be a human ‘being’!

“The real question is not whether life exists after death.
The real question is whether you are alive before death”
~Osho