Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher beginning in or about the year 161 AD. In the book “Meditations”, he wrote down his private thoughts simply in an attempt to give himself positive guidance and pathways based on the responsibilities and obligations of his various political positions. At that time in his life, he wasn’t writing for anyone else but himself. He didn’t initially intend his writings to become a book, but over his 58 years of life, he wrote almost 3,000 quotes concerning life, the living of life, love, generosity, kindness, humility, patience, emotional and mental strength and how to properly deal with whatever life throws at you. “Meditations” is thought to be one of the greatest literary works ever written on Stoic philosophy.

I recently came across this particular quote (and I’ve read quite a few by him) and it was one that struck me as quite possibly one of the most interesting, if not powerful and moving quotes I’ve ever read. Before moving on, please read it again…

I thought, if given a “2nd chance”, what would I do different? What would I change or not change? How would I live my life apart and separate from how I do now? How will I be remembered? Take a moment and think about yourself, how does this quote affect you and how you feel about your life at this point in time?

There is really so very much this quote has evoked in my mind and spirit, and I’m still really thinking and ruminating over it and don’t think I may ever stop. While I believe I’ve lived my life “properly”, (and sometimes maybe not so much), there are just so many other connotations to that word that I certainly believe I could be doing so very much more not only for myself, but for others. The broadness of that word “properly” makes me create a fairly lengthy list in my mind that it can be at times a bit overwhelming. But, what I’ve decided to do, is to take one thing at a time. One instance. One circumstance. One movement. One responsibility. One thing. One act…you get my drift. What is within my control now that I can change for the better and what are things that are outside my control that I can’t change and should just let be and not be concerned with. I can’t change what I did 5 years ago, or even 5 minutes ago. But, what I can do is live in the present, in this moment…now. To change how I react and deal with any stimulus presented to me in “this” moment in time. The future isn’t here yet, so how am I going to live in the now, the present? What can I do to live properly?

Like I said, there are so many different ways to think of and process this quote, and it’ll be quite some time (if at all) before I come to any conclusions about it’s finality in my life. I’ve been blessed in innumerable ways over the course of my life and I don’t take those blessings for granted. Not once, not ever. While I pray to have a continuing, growing and fulfilling relationship with God, this quote will have Him firmly entrenched in it as I go through each and every part of my day.

So, how will I live in this minute, in this moment? Not in 5 minutes, 5 hours or in 5 years, but now. While I’m not saying I won’t make future plans (I am a list maker), it’s the succeeding time in my life that will be dealt with as it comes. I realized that I have been given a 2nd chance, a fresh start…and it’s at each singular moment of my life.

I hope the choices I make bring love, joy, fulfillment, patience and peace not only to myself, but to those I love, to those with whom are around and connected to me and to those whose time in my life are just as fleeting as passing a stranger on the street.

So, I will wish to live properly…right now.