How Long Do I Have?

I came across the story of Paul Kalanithi just today, during a week that didn't seem to be at its best.

It's truly humbling to see how many people around you succumb to a variety of terminal illnesses. Medical science has a place in our world because of illness.
Cancer is one of the real world's biggest scare and we've reached a point in our race where every five families you may come across will have an average of one cancer survivor.

If Paul Kalanithi could write about the inevitable knowing he had little time - I look at it as a blessing.

It's always about the way you perceive things. If I were told I didn't have too much time left, would I still be doing the things I do?

It's like a jolt. A shake. Everyone needs it at some point in their life but not everyone gets it. Your jolt doesn't have to be news of impending death. It could be anything that brings back that once known feeling of passion that you have now conveniently forgotten about because of your day to day tasks.

We all strive but when were we last content? Passionate? Worry-free? Or in peace?

If I knew how much time I had left, I'd have planned things differently. Not because I was running out of time but because I'd know those were the things I needed to do most. The important things that without a deadline did take and do still take a backseat today.

I look at 'knowing' as a blessing. If I knew I had to go in a week or month or year, I might consider giving up work and taking off on an endless travel journey. That's because I wouldn't need to save for an emergency or old age anymore.

It's just the way you perceive things at the end of a Long day.

But in all honesty, if I told you that you had just a week to live - what would you do first?