(I’m not that into tango, but the rest sounded alright by me.)

And from the latest issue:
A few days to live
by Tijn Touber

I knew a man who discovered, as he lay dying, that he had only been on Earth for a few days. He was nearly 70 years old when he died, but according to him, he had only really been alive a few days.

Those several days on Earth were wonderful, to be sure. He saw them in his mind’s eye. He saw one evening when he was with his best friend at the pub and was sure he would change the world. He saw the day he met his future wife and knew for certain that love existed. He saw himself in the middle of his family when felt he was a part of something greater than himself. He saw himself playing soccer with his son and thought, “Isn’t happiness simple.”

If only life were always so simple. More to the point: If only he had always been so simple. If he had always been so fully present with everything he experienced—without holding back, without fear, with out premeditation, without appointment books, without worry, without masks. Simply as it was.

Now at the end of his life he looked back and thought, “I wish I could tell everyone that it’s really only about the days you are truly there.”

He wanted to scream: “Hey people, live! Don’t hold anything back; give it all you’ve got. Give yourself. And receive—receive life fully!” But he barely had the strength to breathe, let alone scream.

And no one had time to listen to him—an old man on his deathbed. He understood that he wasn’t the only one who had barely lived. Most people were in as deep a sleep as he had been. Given his few days on Earth, he had in fact lived a relatively long life compared to many of them.

It was a humiliating discovery, there on that deathbed, but also a beautiful one. For those days on Earth—those few days he had completely been there—were so unforgettably beautiful, he would carry them with him forever.

“And in the meantime, I note that on the matters of morality on which there is something approaching a global consensus, the evidence to date does not show that adherence to a religion—any religion—has a positive effect on the probability that a person behaves morally.”

Khomsta, don’t know if you read this – but good to know you’re back. We missed ya. What am I gonna do when one of us moves away? (Besides throw a party. A going away party. In sadness. Only. No happiness. It will be hard. You will be hardly missed. By that I mean missed in a hard way – as in brutally. Welcome back, pal.)

_________________

The programme found that a combination of techniques based on healthy eating, physical activity, sound sleep and stimulating your mind through solving puzzles and remembering lists makes people sharper, more confident and better at making decisions.

Example week schedule:

Saturday
Brush your teeth with your ‘wrong’ hand and take a shower with your eyes closed.
Sunday
Do the crossword or Sudoku puzzle in your Sunday paper and take a brisk walk.
Monday
Have oily fish for dinner, and either cycle, walk or take the bus into work.
Tuesday
Select unfamiliar words from the dictionary and work them into conversations.
Wednesday
Go to yoga, Pilates or a meditation class, and talk to someone you don’t know.
Thursday
Take a different route to work; watch Countdown or Brainteaser.
Friday
Avoid caffeine or alcohol; memorise your shopping list.

While at a good friend’s wedding recently, I heard something familiar. It was lyrics from “The Book Of Love”, which by an obscure and quirky band called the Magnetic Fields (from their 69 Love Songs album) who I thought no one had heard of besides me. Looks like Peter Gabriel heard of them also, and made a cover of the song. Did a nice job of it, too.
I think I’m gonna hold on to this one for a while.

[DOWNLOAD MP3]

“Some people have trouble opening this type of note, so it’s perfect for passing secret notes to your friends.”