Squeeze the Juices out of Life.

In our family, we have a saying…‘Squeeze the juices out of life’.  It’s something we’ve always said to each other, often on the brink of a big opportunity or decision in one of our lives. It instils courage and motivation in us to live life to the best of our ability; to enjoy each and every moment, never taking life for granted, but living it with open eyes and a thankful heart. As a result of the regularity with which these six words have been spoken over me by my loved ones, it has undoubtedly become a refrain that I tell myself in my own life and I have found myself subconsciously falling back on those six words as a phrase to live by. 

I’ve never thought about the effect that this simple saying has had upon my perception of life, but thanks to the newly created ‘Sunday Blogging Space’, I feel compelled to explore it now.

Were you to look up the word ‘life’ in the dictionary, you would find a highly uninspiring, unemotional definition: ‘The existence of a human being or animal’. It’s a scientific definition of life, distinguishing living beings from inanimate objects. It’s inevitable that the dictionary definition of life would be unsatisfying and incomplete; the very concept of life being too huge and varied to define in a simple sentence. Despite this, I’m saddened to observe that this definition is an accurate description for some people’s perception of their own lives. When days blur into each other, lacking shade or colour, devoid of meaning or emotion I can understand how ‘existence’ could provide an apt definition.

But I refuse to settle for existence because my life is worth more than that.

I want to live my life in vibrant technicolour, greeting each and every day with a positive attitude; recognising the potential that it holds to be a great day. I want to build relationships anchored in mutual love, respect and honesty. I choose to stand up for my beliefs in a society that prefers to follow the crowd; to never allow my Christian faith to be dumbed down in order to ‘fit in’ with the expectation of my generation.

‘Squeezing the juices out of life’ demands action on my part to make my life great. I believe that God has a plan for my life and my future, but I need to take ownership too. I choose to trust Him in all that I do – to listen intently and keep humility. I also choose to live life well. To enjoy it every day. To gratefully take opportunities that are opened up to me and to thank Him every day for the gift (yes, GIFT) of life.

And so I’ll leave you with the wise words of a woman who viewed life as much, much more than simple existence. In fact, the OED should take note – it certainly strikes me as a more worthy definition of this amazing thing we call ‘life’:

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realise it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”

(Mother Teresa)