[Image credit: Daniel St.Pierre]

A week or so ago, a friend of the family went into cardiac arrest, resulting in a coma.  The prognosis is grim.  The most sobering part of the story, personally, is the friend is my age.  And for all intents and purposes, a healthy individual.  He had been running an errand and simply collapsed.  That could be me.  Or someone close to me.  All these plans I have — my tasks for tomorrow, goals for 2012, dreams for Someday — only have meaning if I’m alive and kicking.  For me, it was like a brush with mortality (the proverbial wake-up call), and I can only hope I’m making the most of this very moment.  And the next.  Does my family know how much I love them?  Have I made amends where necessary?  Maybe now is a good time to tie up loose ends while I’m still able.  Because life can change in an instant and as hard as I try, that’s one thing I cannot control.

Have you ever experienced a wake-up call resulting in a changed outlook on life?