Are you familiar with the song, “I Lived”, by One Republic? I’m not a huge fan of the band, but I love that song. I think it’s very catchy, easy to sing along with, and has some solid lyrics with a great message. It’s a good “Seize the day” kind of song.

 

This is the chorus:

I, I did it all

I, I did it all

I owned every second

That this world could give

I saw so many places

The things that I did

With every broken bone

I swear I lived

 

I heard the song while I was driving the other day and made me think about my life. I wondered if I could successfully say that “I lived.” Did I do it all? Have I done a lot and seen a lot in my life? I’m typically rather introspective and reflective, so this was not an unusual thought for me. I think it can be fun to look back at all you have done and what else you want to accomplish in the future.

When I think about it, I can emphatically say that I have lived my life to its fullest. I’m only 36 though, so I intend to keep on living life for quite a while.

My wife and I feel experiences are more important than things and possessions. I’m not saying we don’t have anything nice. We will be moving into a nice new house soon and we each have new cars (but they were both sign and drive leases). We’d much rather spend money on vacations and other fun family experiences. In fact, I’d like to throw in a quote from another song I enjoy. This one is from “No Such Thing as a Broken Heart” by Old Dominion. My favorite lines from the song are “Chase after the dream, don’t chase after the money; And know we got each other, that’s what’s up.”

I felt the same way before I met my wife, too. Life was and still is about doing things, not having things. I am lucky and proud to say that I feel like I have done a lot before reaching the relatively young age I am now.

I have climbed mountains, set foot in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and gone on several cross-country road trips. I have hiked Half Dome, descended into the depths of the Grand Canyon, hiked the Narrows, and explored a rainforest. I’ve seen grizzlies, moose, and rams in the wild and explored paradise (Havasu Canyon).

I got a Bachelor’s Degree from college and published a book. I have been married for five years and have two wonderful little children. I have the best dog in the world and have two great parents who raised me with love.

I have cruised the Caribbean and Mediterranean with my wife. We’ve been to the Canadian Rockies, Disney World, and the Mall of America together. We ate pizza and gelato in Florence and toured the Vatican.

I don’t mean to brag about all the things I have seen and done. I feel lucky that I’ve been able to do so much and travel all over. I have been lucky and am also very thankful. I really feel that those years of traveling (especially in my 20’s) are the years that have defined me and made me into the person I am today.

While it may be hard to choose our favorite places we’ve traveled to, we can agree on one thing. The best thing we have done is an ongoing experience we have enjoyed the past few years. You can probably guess where I’m going with this by now. Becoming parents has easily been the greatest thing we have done. Our kids make every day an incredible day. Teaching our kids and watching them grow and develop is a priceless phenomenon that continues to amaze us day after day. We live for our kids. Our lives revolve around them and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We can’t imagine life without Noah and Charlotte. It would be like a huge part of us was missing.

So, have I lived? I most certainly think I have, and I’ve got a whole lot of living left to do.