The Best 30 Minutes of Your Life

Soft lights flickering through the tree tops.. the lulling sound of an acoustic guitar.. my canteen filled with dark red wine.. sweet on my lips, all of it - the star filled night, the air, the music, the greatest of luxuries: being here now.
Sitting next to me on a stranger's blanket, Josh lights up an Indian Spirit and takes a deep breathe.. I watch the smoke swirl into the shape of an Egyptian dragon, and I think to myself that humans are beautiful, crazy creatures.
Josh sits up and leans into my ear..
"What if these were the last 30 minutes of our lives?".
I smile. Josh asks good questions.

"... the world ends in 30 minutes... what do we do?"

"I think if we knew that these 30 minutes were our last.. they would be the best 30 minutes of our lives."

I take a long drink of wine, and then pass the canteen to Josh.
We both look at each other and break into a smile/laugh/shoulder hug.

Imagine what would matter to you.. if you only had 30 minutes of life left..? Imagine what you would be able to say, or do with that amount of time.
It is an interesting amount.. because it is just long enough to provoke panic.. yet, it isn't enough time to take decisive action.
In 30 minutes, you can't really go anywhere, you can't redeem yourself to anyone, you can't do the things that you never took a chance on...
With 30 minutes.. you are left with one reasonable option:
Enjoy yourself as you are, where you are. Could you do that?

I think we would suddenly be aware how very much it is to be alive... it would flood over us like a Hokusai wave. Our hearts would race, our eyes would be wide and desperate and brave and marvelous.. the world would be marvelous for 30 minutes. Somehow, the knowledge that time is running out.. changes everything. Changes what matters, changes what we want, what we hate, what we love, changes what we do.
The smell of cool air, the way the trees sway in the dark of a starlit night.. the softness of grass - the energy of people, the sensation of our own heartbeats, colors like red & deep blue, the intricate beauty of touch.

I would be aware of the moment - I would be here truly, finally - and I would savor every last living breathe..
Ironic.. that our last 30 minutes would be our best... but they would.
Maybe I can start sooner.







Andrew Tipton