Death Challenge

I watched a baby die. I watched his mom holding him in her arms as he struggled to take his last few breaths, I watched him have a seizure, and I then watched as the life went out of his still open eyes. After a couple of seconds I then watched his mother break down into tears & sobs of grief as she ran off from the village hospital. 8am on a Sunday.

I've seen my share of death here but this one may have effected me the most, but only in the sense of how it did not effect me at all. I felt nothing; no grief, no shock, no pity, nor did I even have to look away. It was life, or rather death; it was normal. Life can be challenging here and working at the hospital here has me rather jaded. Sad thing is that as I watched the baby die, I wasn't even sure of what I was looking at. So many of the babies and children that I work with are sick that I did not even recognize a difference in this child. He was just like the rest...

Which then makes me wonder how far we all are from our deaths. One moment our heart can be pumping oxygen rich blood through our veins and in the next moment our lifeless eyes can droop as every muscle in our body relaxes and comes to rest. Contrary to popular belief, life is not expensive. Somewhat grudgingly, I've found that life can be rather cheap and fleeting. You never know when it's going to end, and truthfully it won't take much to do it. A simple infection (the child mentioned above), a freak hail storm (see earlier post), or maybe a natural disaster (see other earlier post); we never know when or how it's coming.

Coming to this realization, I realize the importance of living for today and in the moment. We are not guaranteed one more breath and should therefore treat this one as our last, as it may be just that.

Challenge!
I challenge you, reader, in memory of this child to appreciate your own life and to treat every moment as if it is your last. I myself am taking up this challenge and am looking forward to appreciating my life and the lives of others. Telling loved ones that I love them; taking chances; giving 110% in all things; seeing the world; this is not about tomorrow, this is about today and right now.

Accept this challenge today, because today was not guaranteed for some.