Today I awoke to two monumentous announcements waiting in my Inbox- one was a video montage of my sister-in-law’s wedding and the other was the summoning of an obituary of a friend recently lost.

To have received them simultaneously gave great perspective.

When your life has come to a close, you look back and think of all you have done and who you have become. You review your time and how you’ve spent it. In the end you cannot change your path, but simply appreciate what you have accomplished, who has been a part of your life and what you have given of yourself- reviewing the various milestones and distinct places in time where a decision shifted your course.

My sister-in-law has just made one of those life decisions.  It is exciting and offers the overwhelming awareness of a new beginning.

I guess what I am so intrigued by is how we should not wait until the end to look back. And we should not limit our consciousness of a change to major stipulated events, like getting married. Instead, a constant checking in with ourselves is necessary to better appreciate what we have going and also facilitate change and new beginnings in so many areas in our lives.

Who you are today both casts the shadow of you yesterday and the reflection of you tomorrow. I like the reminder to check in and see if who I am is who I want to be on the path I envision and adjust accordingly. It is easy to get swept into life’s fast current and forget what you want and who you are- until your Inbox reminds you to take a look it it.