What Matters

Ayong came home after two weeks in Raub. She arrived after dusk. She didn't come home the first weekend because the landlord wanted to replace the broken ceiling fan. I drove over and spent the weekend at 'her' place [she has her own now ... I can't explain how I feel - sad and happy both at the same time].

Thursday the nineteenth was my birhday. Fortyeighth [hmm! not too glaring when spelled compared to written numbers ... hahaha]. Ayong bought my favourite Blueberry Cheese cake. [Nooo! We didn't finish the whole cake ... ;p]

As I was going through some old work, I found something I thought was lost to me forever. I have had to constantly reformat my computer due to virus attack. I saved my works on CDs. Due to carelessness on my part, some of the CDs became unreadable. I was dumb struck for the lost files and folders were collections of pictures, articles and pieces I found meaningful.

Just my luck, I found one I used as a dummy when learning to burn CD. I wish to share one of the saved piece here.

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.

So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.

It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Michael J, HumourNetwork.com


This piece is dedicated to a very special friend who helped me see the rainbow after the rain. Thank you.