One of the Saddest Stories Ever, but a Great Reminder to Us Every Day

“Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well.  Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number really.  How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that’s so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it?  Perhaps four, five times more, perhaps not even that.  How many times will you watch the full moon rise?  Perhaps twenty.  And yet it all seems limitless.” 

The words above are from the book The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles. It’s a powerful passage, and a favorite of Brandon Lee’s, son of martial arts legend, Bruce Lee.  In fact, Brandon selected the passage for his wedding invitation, a wedding that would never take place.  Just two weeks prior to his wedding, 28-year-old Brandon Lee was accidentally killed filming a scene for The Crow, a movie in which he was starring.  The passage from The Sheltering Sky is now etched on Brandon’s tombstone, a stark reminder of how very limited life really is.

“For what level of mediocrity will you settle?” Brandon Lee

Take in the moments of today, a sunset, a phone call, a quiet moment with someone you love.  Make the most of your limited days and don’t ever settle for a mediocre life.  Make yours a life worth remembering.