The Importance of Living Fully (as demonstrated by my friend, Marie Story)

I wanted to share an inspiring moment in my life, about the transition of my friend, Marie Story.

Marie Story has been a core part of the community or family that we have created here in NYC for the last 10 years or more. Her memorial celebration just took place and was very moving and unusual. Just like her life, the service so reflected her. Simple, elegant, informal, deeply authentic, surrounded in nature and in people inspiring one another.

I share it, along with a picture of the charming church on a hill where the service took place, to encourage more people to examine their own lives and to become inspired to live life more fully. Be true to yourself. Invest in the things that matter most to you... and to stop putting that off. Live TODAY!

What is relevant and inspiring to share is that Marie had 4th stage cancer for over EIGHT YEARS. For those who don't know, fourth stage cancer equals that the cancer has spread throughout the body and there is generally a prognosis that there is "nothing they can do."

However, because of the choices that Marie made, she completely healed from fourth stage cancer not once, but twice!

Now one would typically think this would have devastated her life for those eight years. Completely contrary to that likely assumption, n the time Marie was negotiating cancer and dealing with chemo, plus other types of treatment, she trained to become a healer, then a bioenergetics therapist, worked with clients whose lives were transformed, traveled to three continents, got married, created a home and beautiful garden...

In other words, Marie chose to use her challenge to become that much more motivated to LIVE even more fully. And her life was a daily inspiration to the people around her.

The reason I am sharing this personal moment on the blog, is that one of the greatest opportunities we have in our lives is to first claim self and live fully... and we are therefore an automatic inspiration for others to do their own version of the same thing.

Bottom line, YOU AND I can show up and create lives that are inspirational... and by sharing this, it also gives a chance for Marie's life to continue to inspire!

I know that my life will continue to be inspired by her innocent example. I am deeply grateful for her.

Marie Story, 1973 - 2015