Life is about Quality not Quantity

During a conversation with a close friend the following comment just came out of my mouth, "life is about quality not quantity". It fit in with the conversation quite nicely, but it was one of those moments where I thought, why did I just say that. I liked the line, and I knew I needed to do more reflection, so here it is. 

Quality vs Quantity is simply defined. Quality of life is the health, comfort and happiness we experience as an individual. Quantity is a term used to determine the expectations of an individual for a good life. 

As everyone in Canada is aware, sadness struck in Manitoba, on June 15th, when 24 people boarded a small bus in Dauphin, to go the Carberry Casino for the day. While crossing the #1 highway, the bus was struck by an oncoming semi-truck. In the next few seconds, 15 lives were lost and 10 were forever changed. There has been speculation that the intersection is dangerous, and suggestions have been made to make it safer. The bus driver must of had the semi in his blind spot and simply didn't see it, as he proceeded to cross the highway. What a horrible thing for this driver to live with. The semi driver won't be able to un-see what he saw in those seconds after impact. The outpouring of help that followed was true to Canadian standards. There are so many people who will have to find a way to get over the sights and sounds of that accident. The families, friends and the whole community will have to dig deep to move forward dealing with the devastation.

I can only imagine the anticipated fun that these people had going on a road trip and spending the day at the casino. They were adding quality to their lives by being with friends and doing what they enjoyed. They were all seniors, and they had their walkers packed and ready to go. They weren't worried they may not get around the same as they used to, they were out for a day of fun.   

                     #dauphinstrong 

Another tragedy that has been on the news for several days was the search for the Titan. It carried five men and was referred to as a submersible sub. It was designed to sustain the pressure of going two and half miles under the water surface to look at the Titanic. What was to be a two-hour tour, turned into an unthinkable event. One hour and forty-five minutes into the tour, contact with the sub was lost. Several days later after an exhausting search, it was determined the Titan had imploded, there were no survivors. 

To go on this voyage, it costs $250,000 each. Two of the men belonged to an elite group of explorers. They shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans. They were known as thrill seekers and spent considerable time going on risky adventures. Also aboard was a billionaire British businessman and a father and son from one of Pakistan's most prominent family. 

When something tragic happens, we are all reminded to, "live life to the fullest". The trouble lies in determining what living life to the fullest truly means. For those men in the Titan, it was to have an adrenaline rush. For those on the bus, it was an opportunity to get away for the day and have some fun and maybe make some money. None of them assumed it would be their last day of life.

I am just going to leave you with this thought, "am I living life to the fullest?". I hope you can say, "I sure am!". I believe as age sets in, the quality of our lives seems more important. Friends are chosen and shall I say are "of good quality". We put more thought into how we spend our time and money. Living a meaningful life is how we plan to live our life. 

Something that I feel is very close to, "living life to the fullest" is "living your best life". I have had conversations with people that say they are living their best life. They admitted their life wasn't perfect but they felt their life was full or the best. The way I explain how I feel about living life to the fullest is, for me, a work in progress. The friends I have are quality friends, I have the quantity of things I want in my life. I just don't have a clear picture of what my best life would look like. I am one of those people that always wants more. Determining what the more is and how to get it, involves more work. 

As with every post, I hope my words make you reflect on the quality and quantity of your life. Are you living your best life or life to the fullest or are you like me working on it.