SWING FOR THE FENCES

As I approach yet another birthday, I again come to grips with the inevitable passing of time. And the aging that comes along with it. Nothing I can do will stop time from passing. Nothing I can buy or own or do will stop my body from aging.
Let's face it, we're all just heading for death, a day at a time.And there is absolutely nothing we can do to prevent it.
Now that I have completely depressed you, let me just add one more thing: So go out there and love the one you love with all that you have, all that you are, all that you ever will be. If he or she does not want or accept your love, at least you can die knowing that you gave it everything you had -- heart, soul, mind and body. After all, it does absolutely no good to hold something back for "later," especially if "later" never comes around.
And yet I know that while anyone out there reading this is probably shaking their head yes, most of us will soon fall right back into our old habits of keeping some part of us -- our love, our energy, our thoughts, our passions -- in reserve, in hiding, to ourselves. Because we are so much like the kids playing Little League baseball: We're afraid to swing hard, to swing for the fences because we might miss. And that would be just too embarrassing.
Well, I say: Be embarrassing. Be daring. Give it your all. Put it all out there. Gamble everything on love. Yes, you might lose. Yes, the one you love might just spurn your love, laugh in your face, turn away, reject you. But the alternative is to spend the rest of your life wondering, like that kid in Little League, what would have happened if, just once, you'd swung with all your might.