Book Talk: Live Your Dash
Many are familiar with the world famous words of Linda Ellis in her poem "The Dash." If you're not I'll have it at the bottom of this post. The words written in this beautiful poem, I hold dear to my heart and I have declared it as my motto for the new year and every year after that. The most important time you spend on this earth is not in the date you were born or the date you die, but in the line etched between the two, your dash. What did you spend your dash doing? How do you want your dash be remembered?
Linda Ellis covers topics that range from self-reflection, to happiness, success, gratitude, stress, life, and more. She even makes you envision death in a new way, and we all know how hard it can be to talk about death.
This book was written to make every moment matter and emphasize the importance of really living your life, not just going through the day to day motions.
If you need a little inspiration in your life, I highly recommend giving it a read. It encourages you to "deal in real," find your true meaning of success, breathe in moments, creating a morning mantra, and so many other lessons that can be implemented into our daily lives.
Are you creating a dash you want to be remembered for? Would others want to remember your dash?
“The Dash
by Linda Ellis copyright 1996
I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.
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 that 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?”
Love & Light!
Jalesa