Living for two can be done at any age or healing level and for any reason. Although my adventures are now more of a celebration, honoring your loved one can go a long way in speeding up their grieving and healing process, as you are about to see…
You may have heard of a 12-year-old named Aaron from Lexington Park, MD. Aaron now lives for two as a way to get over his grievance. He lost his twin brother, Eric, to brain cancer when the boys were just nine years old.
“From the womb, Aaron and Eric were inseparable,” their mother Angela told Nate Berkus for a taping of The Oprah Show. “In the sonogram we saw once, they were holding hands.” The children did everything together and the loss of his brother caused Aaron to sink into a debilitating depression in which he lost his will to live.
Her insightful pediatrician, Dr. Corder, did not prescribe medication, as many doctors would have done. Instead, he asked Aaron, “What do you like to do?” When he replied that she liked to cook, she said, “Let’s cook for your brother.” She gave Aaron $20 and, as her first investor, asked for a business plan. Her mother says the change was immediate. She “was grinning from ear to ear” on the way home. She made a shopping list and immediately began baking cookies for Eric.
His company, Dough Jangles, was officially launched with a tray of cookies delivered to Dr. Corder’s office, with an official list of how he had spent his money.
Aaron and his mother bake the cookies and sell them. His older brother, Bryce, also gets a fee for helping out. A portion of the proceeds goes to the charities that helped them when Eric was ill. His brother is never far from Aaron’s thoughts as he bakes. “I think he would be proud of me,” he says. “I think I’d be happy if I didn’t give up.”
Wouldn’t your loved one be happy that you didn’t give up?
For me, I am convinced that I would never have experienced skydiving, or the many other adventures in my life, if my sister had not died. She gives me the courage to take risks and experience life to the fullest! When I’m not doing something adventurous, I’m still open to inspiration. Sometimes I feel like eating Snyder’s bar-bq fries for no apparent reason other than because my sister loved them and I imagine she has a carnal craving. I celebrate her favorite color, purple, by wearing it when the spirit moves me. I run through the fall leaves because that’s what we used to do and because I can, or I go out to the beat of Journey because something deep inside says she would love it right now. As I feel the music beating in my veins, I can feel it dancing behind the beats.
What adventures would you undertake if you knew you were protected from above? What dreams would you dare to dream? Think of how your life could expand if you let go of your fear and live for two!
It’s something to think about…
