Start With A Dollar
  • START HERE
  • HEALTH
    • FOOD
    • EXERCISE
    • MENTAL
  • HOW TO
    • FOOD
    • CHORES
  • RELATIONSHIPS
  • FULFILLMENT
    • MONEY
    • SUCCESS
  • SENTIMENTAL
  • SUBSCRIBE
January 14, 2018

Life Is Short. Choose Your Own Adventure!

Dear Ellie,

(This letter was originally written in January 2018)

I hope this letter finds you well and in great spirits. I just took you back to Dallas the other day and it was such a treat to have you for Christmas break.

This visit we stayed with Lauren and Eva in Lauren’s apartment. You and I shared Eva’s room for the week and Lauren and Eva stayed in Lauren’s room.

You’re growing up so fast and you’re so smart and beautiful that it makes my heart melt when I’m with you…which brings me to the topic of this letter.

I already hate that we don’t spend enough time together, and my thoughts on life sometime make it that much worse. Let me explain.

In 2007, I acquired rocky mountain spotted fever from a tick bite. That illness led to a massive blood clot in my left leg, and many pieces of that clot went to my lungs. I should have died, but I was lucky enough to get to the hospital in time.

In 2016, my appendix ruptured. I didn’t even know it had happened. I got to the ER and was rushed to surgery. A week later, I had more blood clots in my lungs and I was in the hospital for an additional week. I probably should have died then too. If I had been born even just a few years earlier, there’s a good chance I would have died from either event.

Today, I worry about what might happen to me as you grow older. I hope to see you grow up and get married, and I want to be a grandpa and have all the joys that come from that.

But then I see my friends and family passing away so young.

My mom died a day before her 53 birthday. Her brother, only a few years older, died the year before. [Another brother, Mike, passed away in the time since I originally wrote this letter and when it was published online]

I have had a client die in her 30s from a blood clot, classmates killed when I was in high school, two coworkers die young of cancer, etc. etc.

As you get older you’ll no doubt experience the same. But the point I’m trying to make is not to depress you. It’s to instill in you the belief that life is precious and the only commodity you never get back is time.

You can be broke and earn more money, you can be homeless and find shelter, you can be hungry and find something to eat, but every second of your life that passes is a moment that will never come again, and eventually everyone’s time comes to an end.

In my case, I’m not religious. I don’t have a belief in an afterlife. Having this perspective fuels my desire to make the most of every moment we have because I imagine “life after death” is the same as “life before life.”

No matter what you believe, make the most of life here on Earth. Seek your own dreams. Say no to things you don’t want to do or that don’t drive you toward your goals. Stay laser focused on the things you want to accomplish and make them happen. There are a million reasons why other people would never want to do what you want to do. Ignore them all. They aren’t living your life.

There’s no reason to do anything other than live your life such that you have no regrets when life is over. Be kind and help others, and others will help you too.

I believe in you and your dreams. You are amazing and you can do or achieve anything you want in life. And I hope you never settle for less.

I love you for eternity.

Love,
Daddy

P.S. Why did the skeleton go to the party alone? Because he had nobody to go with him.


Share The Love!


Receive Ellie’s Letter By Email Every Sunday: SUBSCRIBE

Send your own letter to Ellie, and I may feature it on the blog!

Email your letter to:
dad @ startwithadollar.com

Previous articleYou Can't Put Toothpaste Back In The TubeNext article I Miss You Every Day

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Recent Letters

  • I Finally Cleaned My Car! (sort of)

  • Uncle Jason Is Engaged!

  • You Are A Big Sister!

  • Your First Ride On A Jet Ski

  • If Something Happens To Me Because Of Coronavirus

  • Dad’s Blackened Tilapia Recipe

  • Happy Valentine’s Day 2020

  • Earth Is But A Tiny Spec In The Grand Scheme Of The Universe

  • I Have Vegetables, Too! And Here’s Why

  • The Most Powerful Habit You Could Ever Develop

  • The Hardest Part About My Mom Passing Away

  • Know When To Be Present

  • Don’t Be A Procrastinator. Maintain A Bias Toward Taking Action!

  • How To Develop Your Leadership Skills

  • You Have A New Step Dad

  • If You Try To Please Everyone, You’ll Lose Your…

  • Minimalism Is A Journey Worth Taking

  • Take Care Of Your Body

  • My Childhood (w/ Pictures)

  • Improve Your Leadership By Empowering Others

  • I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You

  • Your Value Is Not Determined By Your Social Media “Likes”

  • I Moved To Dallas!

  • The Power Of Childhood Memories

  • Persistent Action Is More Important Than Perfection


Letters By Month

  • July 2021 (1)
  • June 2021 (2)
  • July 2020 (1)
  • March 2020 (1)
  • February 2020 (4)
  • January 2020 (3)
  • December 2019 (5)
  • November 2019 (4)
  • October 2019 (3)
  • September 2019 (5)
  • August 2019 (1)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (2)
Copyright ©2017-2020 | Start With A Dollar | All Rights Reserved.