I kept shouting to Deanna, "Hang on! Hang on! We’ll be OK!"
Deanna was not the least flustered. She just sat calmly like nothing was happening. Here I was, frightened to death that our boat would capsize, and there she was smiling and enjoying the fury as though she were on a carnival ride.
Deanna suddenly asked, "Uncle, if today were your last day, what top life advice would you give me and those who’ll survive this storm?"
"The nerve!" I blurted to myself. "How could she be asking such an ill-timed question in the midst of this tempest?"
"Uncle," she repeated, "what have you learned from life that you’d like to pass on to me?"
I was so annoyed by her persistence. The world as I knew it was ending, the waters were whipping and splashing their wrath on our fragile little boat, and she wanted advice! I looked up and saw the star still twinkling brightly.
"Just hang on, hold on tight, and you’ll be alright!" I shouted back. Complete darkness engulfed me as I let out a sharp cry. I woke up with the fury of the winds ringing in my ears. Feeling relieved that it was only a dream, I got up to get a glass of water. Realizing the inevitable finiteness of human life from my dream, I thought, "Yeah, if my last day were to come, what advice would I pass on to those left behind?"
With my eyes still heavy with lethargic stupor, I turned on my computer and started typing: "Face and enjoy your problems because problems signify that you are very much alive." I smiled as I remembered a quotation from Dr. Robert Anthony that said, "The only people without problems are the ones in the cemetery."
But having made a life resolution to dwell mainly on positive things (problems are hardly positive!), I deleted what I had typed so far to start all over again. The following, for me, are the most essential life reminders I would pass on to others if my last day were to come.
2) You only have one body to live in. Your body is your only true house or temple. Nourish and keep it fit and beautiful. If your house crumbles, where will you live?
3) Seek beauty and create order. Beauty is the wine of life and the elixir of the soul. Order is the fundamental principle of the universe.
4) Seek that which gives your heart the purest and greatest joy. Always follow your heart. It has all the right answers because it knows what will give you the purest and greatest joy.
5) Everything can be yours if you want it hard enough. Desire it, work for it, and you’ll get it. Be thankful for what you have, do not lament for what you don’t have.
6) Without others, achievements mean nothing. All the gold in the world would be worthless if you have no one to share it with. True happiness can only be had from giving and sharing.
7) What you give is what you get. Giving assures receiving. If you are getting nothing, it’s because you are giving nothing. And even when it hurts, always give with a joyful smile.
8) You can only give love; you cannot keep it. Realize that you are a magnificent fountain of love. If you don’t give love away, your source spring will dry up. The love you give multiplies a hundredfold.
9) Your conscience never sleeps. If you are guilty, it won’t make you sleep, too. Do something because it is the right thing to do, even when no one is looking.
10) Avoid those that make you feel ugly and unhappy. You don’t deserve to feel ugly and unhappy. Stay away from negative, bitter and resentful people who drain your life energy. Look for love and joy elsewhere.
11) You cannot change the truth no matter how you bend it. You may be able to fool others but you will never be able to fool yourself. Falsehood is a cell you imprison yourself in. Only the truth will set you free.
12) The body dies; the spirit is eternal. Everything shall pass and material things will mean nothing after you die. When you come face to face with your Creator, He won’t judge you from the clothes you wore or cars you drove but by the goodness of your heart.
Should you be caught in the torrents of a real dark storm, don’t concentrate on the chaos and despair around you. Look up and pin your hopes on a guiding star that will illuminate the way to the safety and bliss of your dreams.