It’s so easy to become consumed with the hustle and bustle of life - those “things” we believe to be important, meaningful and self sustaining.

It’s often in those times of uncertainty and crisis - whether unexpected or expected - that we begin to ask the wider universal questions related to life. What difference have I made? Who have I impacted? Have I tried to be kind and giving to another?

I learned nine years ago during a health crisis that we can try to plan our life and seek what we consider important, yet there will be times, events and circumstances that halt any progress we may have made, leading many of us to question the sanctity of life and its fragile state.

I’m currently in a situation that has brought forth many of the thoughts and questions I posed to myself nine years ago. Today, they have become incredibly more real.

None of us can determine our health or how long we may live; however, what we can determine is how we will live out what time we have on this Earth. We can determine and decide our faith, our relationships and how we interact and treat everyone we come in contact with daily.

We can be kind and strive to be compassionate, for, as the saying goes, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

If another is in pain or struggling, and you are able to, reach out to them and provide assistance in some fashion. Even if that person refuses, keep asking, for some of us are too prideful or too embarrassed to admit our weakness and need.

I suspect the next few months I will ponder and ask many practical, existential and spiritual questions - notably why and what if? I hope to replace those two questions with words such as hope and optimism.

For now, my recommendation to you reading this is to enjoy life daily and its small, little moments. Don’t be overly consumed with competing with others and the world. Take time to accept the help and love of another person.

Take a few minutes to look at the sunrise and sunset, the colors of the trees and the eyes and faces of each person you come in contact with. Those eyes and those faces are a window into another person’s soul, with a story to be told and shared.

Life is short, despite our age. Although short, each moment of each day offers a unique glimpse into how beautiful this world truly is.

Savor that beauty and share your love with those around you.