Hey Friend,

So last night at about 10:15, I'm out on our front lawn helping my youngest son Kashton pick baseballs up off the lawn before bed.

The phone rings and it's my sister Shana.

"Hey Shana Banana" I say as I pick up the phone - "What's going on..?"

"Well.... (long pause) - Bob just had a heart attack and I'm here in the hospital waiting room with mom."

Bob is my step dad and has been like a father to me since my senior year in high school. (My real dad left when I was 8 years old).

"I'll be right there." I say and rush to the hospital.

When I get there, I learn that he's had a "STEMI" which turns out to be one of the most serious types of heart attacks - also known as "The Widow Maker"

I sat there in the Hospital waiting room, next to my mom and sister, thankful for family as I recalled the other times I'd been in situations like this.

When my grandpa was having heart procedures multiple times throughout his life before he made his transition just last year or so.

When I sat next to the hospital bed, next to my other grandpa (from my dads' side) - the only one there for him over in California during his last few days on earth.

As I sat next to my Granma Carol, holding her hand, playing her favorite music right before she left, also in a hospital room.

2 main thoughts always float around in my brain in these experiences.

1 - How deeply grateful I am for doctors, nurses and health care facilities to help us through things like this.

2 - How short and fleeting, life really is - for all of us.

In fact, just last night I was telling my son Camden how life is a gift and it's short for all of us - shorter for some, yes, but short for all.

I'll never forget one of the last things my grandpa told me (he died at 100) -

"I just can't believe how fast it all went by."

Anyway Friend, I guess the reason I'm telling you all this is because when we remember how short life really is, 2 things can happen.

First, we tend to treasure the moments we have, much more deeply.

Second, we can decide to stop letting the small stuff block us and stop us from living our best lives NOW!

From doing the things we want to do.

From making the decisions we want to make instead of letting the THIEF of procrastination steal away our very lives way as we "put of until tomorrow what should have been done yesterday, or last week."

For some reason I've always had a hyper aware sense of my own mortality and it's something that drives me.

Drives me to work hard to make the difference I'm here to make.

To 'Take the shot' and 'lend a hand' and 'lift as many hearts' as I can, while I'm here.

Last night's experience with my step dad Bob, was a critical reminder of all of this for me and I wanted to share some of it with you.

Life truly is a gift and it's important that we unwrap it now, every second, every moment, every day.

That's a big part of why I do what I do. I just want to make the most of this incredible gift I've been given, and help as many people as I can in the process.

Truth is, money doesn't even motivate me anymore.

Impact, contribution and changed minds and lives is the salary I seek these days.

Anyway, I guess I'm rambling now so I better close it out.

Please get out there today and tell the people you love, that you love them.

Please make those decisions and take those actions that are important to your better future.

We never know how much time we may have left on this beautiful planet - and that means that today, is ALWAYS the day - to make it happen.

Sincerely,

Paul Hutchings