It’s all too easy in today’s world to find ourselves paying so much attention to and worrying about all of the things that “have to get done”. We tend to think that we have to do these things first before doing the “fun” things. How many times do we catch ourselves saying, “I’ll do that [fun thing] after I get these other things done.”
Why is it so much easier to push aside the things that truly make us happy and feel alive than it is to these “other responsibilities”? And then, we find ourselves saying, “Where did the time/days go?” or “I can’t believe I haven’t done ____ in so long.” or “I can’t believe it’s been so long since I saw / spoke with ____.”
What if we gave that same attention and worry to the things that truly make us happy and feel alive? The things that, at the end of the day, make us say, “What an awesome day!”
Since Jack’s passing, I have personally tried to incorporate more of this into my life. And, as if I needed even more of a reminder to do so, I actually created a new holiday for my company on Jack’s birthday (Feb. 20th) – Live Like Jack Day.
Why did I create this new holiday?
Two years ago when his first birthday [after his passing] was approaching, I knew that I was going to take the day off and was going to do something meaningful and appreciate life. I then thought to myself, “why don’t I give my company the same opportunity?” With that, Live Like Jack Day (Feb 20th) became an official company holiday.
But, there are rules…
Basically, everyone gets this day off to do whatever they want and have a meaningful day. BUT if anyone is caught doing chores or running errands or playing catch up or whatever – they lose one vacation day! It’s that easy – have an amazing day and don’t worry about anything else.
What’s amazing is how easy and naturally living like this came to Jack. I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone again who embraced life like he did in every aspect – getting outdoors, going on a trip, learning something new, spending time with friends and family, taking the time to teach others, acting like a kid, watching the sun rise, etc. There was never a thought of, “I’ll wait until tomorrow”. He just did it “today”.
Every day for Jack was a “Live Like Jack Day”.
So, I ask that our birthday gift to Jack is to continue incorporating more of this type of living into our daily lives. It’s ok to give priority to these meaningful things and let the “other responsibilities” wait until tomorrow. Because, as we all know, life is short and can be taken from us without warning.
As Abraham Lincoln said, “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
Jack may have only lived to be 37, but he had more life in those 37 years than most people do in 100.
Happy birthday, Jack! We all miss you so much. Thanks for being the eternal voice in the back of our heads reminding us to appreciate life and live each day to the fullest.
By: John Augst