Life is a Dash

I completely thought of this topic in a matter of minutes, so I apologize it if makes no sense.  Usually I like to think out what I'm going to write in advance, but I just had to get this down.

Now, I'm not sure where I heard this.  It may have been a movie, book, or just a random quote.  Yet I really love it and I hope you love it just as much.

So everyone has seen a cemetery.  If not, you know what a headstone looks like.  Let's pretend I was born in the year 1800 and I died in the year 1875.  On the headstone it would read 1800-1875.  If you can see, there is the slightest dash between the 1800 and the 1875.  It is so small.  Just a minuscule line that is supposed to account for your entire life.  This is your life: -

Just a dash.  If you genuinely think about your life, right now is not even a percentage of that dash.  The past five years make up the smallest part of your own dash.

So how are you living your life?  Are the things you doing even affecting the length of your dash?  I mean, what is even in a dash?  Look at all of time.  Billions and billions of years.  One person's life is literally nothing to all that time.

Not that your life is nothing.  Your life is something.  But it is only significant if you make it great.  Build your dash.  Live out your dreams.  Watch the sunrise and fall asleep on a beach.  Travel, read lots of books, and eat bizarre foods.  Drink tea and talk to interesting people.  Expand your horizons and live on the edge.  Stay at a tiny motel in the middle of no where.  Go star gazing.  Build a snowman.  Dance.  Sing.  Write.

More important than all of that is standing up for what you believe in.  Be different.  Change someone's life.  Be kind to those who are not kind to you.  Be confident and spread grace wherever you go.  Stay positive and do fun things.  Build your dash.  Make it important.  Be memorable and be so generous that others will always remember you.  Do everything for the right reasons.  Always have a pure heart and genuine intentions.  That way, when someone sees your dash, they know you really had one.  Until next time xxx.