“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”
Henry David Thoreau
A little earlier this summer, we took our kids to Door County for the weekend with a group of friends. The pilgrimage to Door County seems to be a standard for many families. And this is for good reason! It is beautiful, restful, and there is some kind of magic that seems to always happen there that rejuvenates you and allows you to reconnect with your loved ones.
During this year’s trip, we took our kids — 7, 8, and 10 — cliff jumping at the Sand Dunes State Park. So we literally got in the car and drove about an hour to tell our children to jump off a cliff. It was my first time and theirs. If you’ve never been, please know: that last step right before your first jump is utterly terrifying. But the plunge into the water is exhilarating.
In my law practice, I help people plan for their death and ensure their assets are properly distributed to their loved ones after they pass. We walk a difficult walk alongside many. We get to know our clients and their families as they struggle through some pretty tough times.
Given my day job, it’s probably not surprising that as I stood at the top of the cliff before taking my first plunge, I paused to reflect and was comforted knowing my family would be OK because my affairs were in order. You know, if I did not survive when I defied my mother’s advice and actually followed my friends and jumped off that cliff.
Holding the hands of my daughters, we counted to 3. And then we jumped, continuing to hold hands as we leapt off sturdy ground and launched ourselves through the humid summer air into the frigid Lake Michigan waters. As I resurfaced to the sounds of their shrieks of laughter and pure joy, I absolutely found “my eternity in [that] moment.” We have all had those moments. And may we have many, many more.
Most people put off estate planning because we don’t want to think about or talk about our death. It does no good to live in fear of the inevitable. I was reminded of this quite clearly as I prepared to jump of that cliff. In knowing your affairs are in order truly gives you peace. I am not ready to die. I do not want to die any time soon. Yet, we can’t control when that will happen. (Although my mom would say, choosing not to jump off that cliff makes it less likely to happen that day.)
But you can make sure everything is in order so that you can be confident in taking (calculated & safe) opportunities to “live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, [and] find your eternity in each moment.”