A Reading of The Dash by Linda Ellis

He noted that first came the date of birth
and spoke the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
that they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own —
the cars ... the house ... the cash ....
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger
and show appreciation more,
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile,
remembering this special dash
might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life's actions to rehash,
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent YOUR dash?

I stumbled on this poem on Instagram just before Christmas and thought that it's perfect for this season. So, I decided to do a reading and share it with my Hive family.

A wise man once said that an unexamined life is not worth living. We've just entered into a new year. What better time is there to examine and evaluate our lives? We never know how much time we have to spend here, so we should be intentional about how we live every day of our lives. How do we treat others? should be the first question we ask ourselves. The best time to change is now because there's no time like the present. Like the poem says, when your eulogy is being read, would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?