Living Vicariously

Yesterday, I went to a funeral for Brenda Douglas. She was a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and active in the church and the community. Beyond that, she was also an artist and photographer, and had a long career as a court reporter.

In his eulogy, our rector said several times that Brenda "lived her life to the fullest." This is clear from the legacy she left: her family, her art, the good she's done for people around her.  I hope I can claim half as much accomplished in my life when my time comes.

It got me to thinking how easy it is not to live life to the fullest nowadays. It's so simple to sit back and just watch instead. We can live vicariously through TV and movies and immersive video games. People who have given up on accomplishing anything with their own lives can live vicariously through their children, pushing kids into ever more competitive milieus.

I don't want to live vicariously. As long as I am alive and able, I want to experience life for myself, to live each day to the fullest.