The Concept of "Living Wide"

by Skip Cohen

It's Sunday, and as always, I'm about to run amuck and a long way from the business and marketing of photography. But I hope you'll stick with me and that what I'm about to share will hit you like it did us the other night.

Sheila and I are big fans of American Ninja Warrior and have been following the show for years. This past week a new warrior just about to run the course told his story. His name was Christopher Jones. He was wearing a t-shirt that said "Living Wide." Dedicating his debut on Ninja Warrior to his father, Gregory Todd Jones, he talked about his father's fight against lung cancer.  

While the doctors told Gregory he only had a few months to live, Gregory decided to "live wide," and the next four years were incredible, as described by Christopher. His father never slowed down and never stopped bringing hope and meaning to his life. The philosophy of the organization he founded is described best on its website:

We may lose control of the length of our lives, but we never lose control of the width.
Living Wide helps those with critical illnesses enjoy lives filled with joy, hope, meaning and purpose in spite of profound uncertainty. We help make the most out of each and every day.

Live wide and well.

​While the concept of quality versus quantity isn't new, I've never thought about it as it applied to the days of my life. In all honesty, when I was a lot younger, I'm not sure it would even have occurred to me. After all, the younger you are, the more you're convinced you'll live forever. Then one day, you realize you've become your parents. LOL

That brings me right to my point - it's time, no matter how old you are, that you lived wide. Imagine what our life would be like if you stayed focused on each day and filled it with meaning, hope, and purpose. The concept helps to build a better world with or without a critical illness. The point is further enforced by the losses we all experienced through the pandemic and the awareness that none of us know what the future holds.

We've all heard the line: "Don't sweat the small stuff...it's ALL small stuff." Well, Sheila and I are embarking on a journey to live wide. We're a work in progress, so I suspect we'll hit a few speed bumps along the way, but this is about appreciating every minute of our lives right now! It's about not wasting time stressing over things that just don't matter and making the most out of every day.

Wishing all of you a day filled with a deep appreciation for everything in your life. Go for those eleven-second hugs with those people most special in your life. Live wide and focus on creating joy in your life. Zig Ziglar said it best:

You can complain about roses having thorns,
or you can rejoice because thorns have roses!

Happy Sunday...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world.