That’s life

That’s a phrase that gets bandied about quite often but what does it mean? It seems to me that it’s a saying that people use when they’re trying to point out that life is a negative thing.

Think about it this way, you’re out with a friend and he tells you he’s met the woman of his dreams and they’re getting married. Or, you found out you just won the lottery. Or, your kid comes home from school and tells you they’ve received a full scholarship to an Ivy league school. Nope, not one of those instances would you turn around and utter the phrase, “that’s life”.

Now let’s explore the other side. My dog just got run over by a car. I have cancer. Your wife is cheating on you. There’s a big pile of dog crap on the living room carpet on Christmas morning. These examples might be a bit extreme, but you can definitely see someone saying, “that’s life” at one point or another.

Saying, “that’s life” isn’t a way of pointing out that life sucks. It’s just a way of pointing out that sometimes bad stuff happens. The truth is, life isn’t good or bad, it’s just life. Sometimes good stuff happens, sometimes bad stuff happens; life happens.

Saying “that’s life” feels like giving someone a consolation prize when things start going sideways. Maybe that’s what people are really trying to say when they utter the words, “that’s life”. The phrase, “that’s life”, much like life itself, isn’t good or bad, it just is. It still feels trite and contemptuous to me though. Wouldn’t it be better to point out that life is short and whatever is happening (good, bad, or otherwise), doesn’t matter, you are alive and not everyone gets that chance. Also, not everyone who is alive really lives.

Memento Mori

Remember, one day, you will die. That’s what this Latin phrase means. Not just you, but everyone will die one day. It’s the uncomfortable truth that we must all face at some point.

Life is short. You never know when your ticket is going to get punched for the last time and you’ll be forced to shuffle off this mortal coil. Why not enjoy the ride while you have the chance?

Imagine what you would do if you knew you were going to die. How would you spend your remaining time? Would you mope about or would you live life to its fullest? Would you worry about how much money you have in your bank account, or would you spend it to make other people happy? Would you be a sourpuss all the time, or would you spend your time making other people happy?

Guess what, you are going to die. You don’t know when, it could happen tomorrow, or it could happen 90 years from now. I know some see this line of thinking as morbid, but those people haven’t faced the uncomfortable truth yet. You are gong to die; deal with it. Once you come to grips with this fact, it frees you up and allows you to actually start living life.

I want to see it all and I want to do more

A friend of mind says this on occasion. It makes me think about how short life really is. It also brings to mind that we only get to go around once (as far as anyone knows). Why would anyone want to spend their limited time moping about how much life sucks when they could be out there making the most of the life that they’ve been given?

Don’t be scared to get out there and experience things that you’d otherwise be afraid to try. Say hello to the cute girl at the coffee shop. Take an art class. Learn a musical instrument. Try your hand at blogging. Go on that trip you’ve been dreaming about. See it all and do more.

Is life risky? Hells yes! The risky zone are life, the rest is just existing. Don’t be scared to do new things. That exhilaration you’re feeling just now? That’s how you know you’re alive.