“...CARPE. HEAR IT? CARPE. CARPE DIEM. SEIZE THE DAY BOYS. MAKE YOUR LIVES EXTRAORDINARY...” (JOHN KEATING IN DEADS POET SOCIETY)

“YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT REAL LOSS BECAUSE IT ONLY OCCURS WHEN YOU’VE LOVED SOMETHING MORE THAN YOU LOVE YOURSELF.  I DOUBT YOU’VE EVER DARED TO LOVE ANYBODY THAT MUCH.” - (SEAN MAGUIRE IN GOOD WILL HUNTING)

...the saying is something like...life is not measured by the breaths you take but rather by the moments that take your breath away...& at some moments in life, it seems that the breath of life is completely gone when we lose the ones that we love...today, a famous actor passed away, an actor who brought laughter, who brought characters to life, who transformed himself into characters we loved, who we wanted to be friends with...he brought life to television, to the movies...& by no means, but through media, do i have a connection to this actor, my heart goes out to his family and friends;  b/c there loss is great one...they will be in my thoughts & prayers...

...just as this man, and among those other loved ones that left us too soon, i guess it makes us stop and think...did we seize the moment, did we seize the day...did we "make our lives extraordinary..." & for that matter are we taking these very moments of now and living so that when we look back...we have loved, we have laughed, we have cried, we have held on tight until we could hold on no longer, we have taken every ounce and lived...

                                “OUR JOB IS IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE NOT JUST DELAYING DEATH.” 

(PATCH ADAMS IN PATCH ADAMS)

...in seizing this very moment, are we going the next step and improving upon what we have, or are we settling...don't just wake up and do life; wake up and live life, wake up & improve life from what it is...smile because you can, hug because you can love, laugh because life is funny, cry because your eyes need it, dance because your legs want to move, help others because that is what life is about...

...awhile back i wrote a blog post (well most of them read the same; what can i say i am a broken record); about one of my students, saying if i could leave the world one thing what would it be...& there is the answer, simple and as true as it gets, to not only live each moment like that is all i have but to live life by improving it, so tomorrow is better than today...so that like so many others that have touched our lives whether on a daily basis or just like Mr. Robin Williams who we only knew from afar...we are that much richer, our lives are that much brighter, & the world is that much better because of them...

...cheers to the sky for the stars in the heavens are that much brighter tonight...

..."Thank you for choosing "Magic Carpet" for all your travel needs. Don't stand until the rug has come to a complete stop. Thank you. Goodbye, now. Goodbye. Goodbye. Thank you. Goodbye..."

-Genie, Aladdin-