Many of our members haven’t made it to one of our many events. When asked why, most will say something like “I don’t have time”...“I don’t have the money.”
All that is understandable, but only to a point.
One thing I have learned in my 46 years on this earth is this… time is finite. In fact, it’s the most finite of all our resources. It’s the one thing we cannot get back. It is also possibly the most wasted resource.
A little over a year ago, I suffered a massive heart attack. I’ll tell you what was and what was not on my mind as they loaded me into that helicopter in front of my wife.
What was on my mind? If only I could spend one more day with her, holding her hand. Did I tell my son, my daughters, my grandchildren, my parents, my siblings that I loved them? Did I accomplish enough? Will my family be able to handle the load? Will my wife know what to do when I don’t make it back? All of these questions played over and over in my mind. I prayed. I prayed to survive, I prayed to see my wife and children one more time. All the things I never did, places I’d never see, all the I love you’s I didn’t say. I’d never see my kids walk the aisle.
What wasn’t on my mind? Did I work enough hours? Was my golf game good enough? I didn’t care one single bit about my job, I didn’t care one bit about whether I worked enough hours. It never crossed my mind that it was good that I worked that extra shift and missed my daughter’s dance recital. I didn’t give a damn that I never bought a BMW, or whether I’d see the final episode of … whatever.
Thankfully, I survived. I got to see Heather again, Lauren, Myranda, Joseph and all the babies. I was present when my first grandson was born. I signed my son’s marriage certificate. I was given yet another granddaughter. I traveled to Minnesota to see Baldrshof for the first time.
What I didn’t regret was my visit to Óðinshof. To Þórshof. Meeting my hero, Stephen McNallen. Renewing my wedding vows in the presence of Þórr. Traveling all over the country with Rob Stamm, Bobby Shotwell, the Ericksons, the Easts, the Flavels. Chasing the sunset with my bride and our youngest daughter in tow.
One day I took off work to hang out with my oldest granddaughter. I called my daughter, told her I was picking up the baby to do whatever she wanted to do. Whether it was ice cream at the park or whatever. I then called my boss and told him I was taking the day off. He asked why? To spend time with my granddaughter. He was flabbergasted. How dare I? How dare I? I dared to defy my employers in favor of my child’s child. When I returned to work, I got a tongue lashing and a “write up.” And I didn’t care. Nor will I ever. Because I no longer give them authority in my life. I give it the proper respect that it deserves. It’s only to pay my bills.
We often see people living a life we’d like to live and say, “if only I had more time.” “Maybe when I have enough money.” Guess what, you don’t. You won’t. Time is another sacrifice we have to make to do the things we want to do, the things we have to do. As men, as husbands, fathers…. You decide what is important. Is your time on the clock more valuable than your time at the dinner table? Do you want to wait to live? We cannot wait; we aren’t just breathing….be ALIVE!
You want to hike that mountain, sail that ocean, see that ancestral homeland? Then do it. Life cannot wait. Neither does death.
What’s important? Your fantasy league? Or your kin-fence? Saving for that BMW? Or living a life you don’t need a vacation from?
Why wait for retirement, a time where your employer and the government give you permission to live? Why not live now? Why wait until you have a decade (maybe) left on this earth?
I’m not saying that you should not make a living and support your family. I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to acquire nice things. I’m saying that those pursuits should not take all of your time. It’s honorable to work hard, take care of the family. But there’s more, isn’t there?
How do you want to be remembered? To be the guy who slaves away on a clock only to have a half-full wallet? Is that our purpose?
How will you actually be remembered? Will you even be remembered?
Death comes for us all, and when it does, have no regrets. Leave it all on the field as they say. Love hard, play hard, and laugh hard. Ask that hottie on a date. Climb that mountain rather than just the company ladder. Tell those you love…that you love them. Take a risk. Join us in circle, shouting at the top of your lungs to your Gods. Don’t wait… live it now.
Life is meant to be lived, to be embraced. Nothing is guaranteed except that life eventually ends.
Witan Daniel Young
~ From The Runestone, February 2025 ~
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