The Moment of Truth

There are times in life when you are faced with to make a decision, this is one that I will never forget.

Its been five years now since I've arrived here in Taiwan and five years to the date of today that changed my life.

Today is the five year anniversary of 9/21 Earthquake (6.7 on the Richter scale) that rocked Taiwan's central and northern region. This horrific event caused major damage to the homes of thousands, destroyed natural landscapes, and changed my life forever.

I still remember the night of the earthquake clearly in my mind. I had just moved to Taipei for about a month and was living at my father's friend's house. His apt. was on the 23rd floor and top floor of this building. That night I was still watching TV and was ready to go to bed. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. While brushing, the lights started to go dim and all of a sudden, I felt like I was dizzy and couldn't keep my balance. It turns out that the building was already swerving and within seconds later, the heavy rumbling started. I dashed out of the bathroom (with toothbrush still in my mouth) and ran under the dining table. That dash towards the table seemed like forever, felt like time was moving in slow motion. I saw the cabinets fall over, glass shattering, and the stairs twisting.

The earthquake seemed to last forever...and while I was under the table, I thought to myself that for sure I was going to die that night (big ass earthquake + 23F of a old building= Collapse building)

You know when some people say, "When your about to die, your entire life flashes before your eyes", I can assure you that saying is so TRUE. When I thought I was gonna a goner, I blanked out and started to see images of my life flashing by. It was like looking through a photo album of your life of all the good memories, bad memories, important events, accomplishments, family and friends. A walk down memory lane just before your about to kick it...

Here is the revelation that most people don't know. Its that at the end of that "walk down memory lane", all of a sudden everything was silent and you ask yourself one last question .... "If this is my last moment on earth, did I live a fulfilling life that I would have no regrets if I died"

I still remember clearly that at that moment, after remembering my great family, wonderful friends, all my unforgettable experiences and accomplishments, I thought to myself that "If I was going to die tonight, I would have no regrets as to how I've lived my life so far". At that time, I felt like I lived my life to the fullest everyday; I lived in various countries, traveled to more places around the world than most people would in their lifetimes, and continued to challenge myself and learned new things everyday.

Its ironic that in a time of possible death, its when I found the key to happiness in life. I realized that if I was ready to die that night without any regrets, it means that every day I live after that was a bonus. And therefore became even more adamant of not wasting each day and doing things that challenge yourself is what makes your life meaningful.

So from that point on, everyday I live, is a +1

I hope we stop taking life for granted and realize each day we are here is a blessing. Learn to live each day to the fullest and when you go to bed each night, you ask yourself "if tonight was my last night, would I have any regrets?" I hope the answer to that questions everynight would be "Yes"...



***Althought it was a extremely strong earthquake, I did not "meet my maker" that night. (Obviously)