A little over seven years ago, I lost a dear friend to illness. She was 57 years old when she passed away, a year younger than I am today. Not long after that, my husband and I took a year off to RV and see the southwest and we did it with Susan “Q” in mind.

Since that time, I encourage others to “live your dash.” That’s the time between the day you were born and the day you die. Life is an incredible gift and we only get one shot at it.

I was thinking about this yesterday after hearing a song by fellow Texan Willie Nelson and the late Loretta Lynn called “Lay Me Down.” I’m sharing the link, as the message for me was so good.

“I’ll be at peace when they lay me down.”

Live your dash. Do that thing you’ve always wanted to do. Take trips to places you’ve always wanted to go.

In the words of Mark Twain, “Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, and live like it’s heaven on earth.”

We spend a significant amount of time every week working. In my humble opionion, we should ensure we’re doing work that matters to us, so that we may fill our souls and not just our bank accounts. Live your dash!