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Do you know how long you will live? Most of us do not. We can hazard a guess or a wish, but unless we are staring death in the face then we do not know. While I often urge my readers to live their lives fully and joyfully, recent events here in the bluegrass have made me even more aware of the need to live my life as if each day was my last.

I live a few miles east of Lexington, Kentucky, where on Sunday Comair Flight 5191 taking off from Bluegrass Airport with 50 people on board crashed and 49 were killed. The victims of the crash had family and friends who loved them and had lives to be lived. Some were young people just embarking on life. One couple had just been married the night before. Another couple was engaged to be married. Many passengers were middle aged and had already made wonderful contributions, for example one man was Habitat's National Volunteer of the Year in 2004, but who knows what other lives and events they could have influenced in the long decades they should have lived. However you can be sure that none of those people expected their lives to end that morning.

Life is like that. Simply being a human alive brings risks. Sometimes it is disease, sometimes accident, and sometimes deliberate violence, but we do not know what day will be our last and that is why it is so important to live life fully and joyfully.

If you knew today was your last day then what would you do? I'm not suggesting you quit your job, tell off the neighbors or stop paying your bills, but rather to look at the areas of your life that matter most to you. You know what they are and while there are certainly common areas they are also as individual as humans. Do more every day to appreciate and enjoy the people and activities that make your life worth living.

How often do you tell those closest to you how much they matter to you? Do you say "I love you" every day? When did you last embrace the person that is nearest to your heart? When did you last simply spend time together?

Treat yourself well at least once a day. I do not mean you need to splurge and buy yourself a present every day, but rather to give yourself some time every day to relax and enjoy life whether it is reading a book, watching the sunset, or snuggling with your dog.

What regrets would you have and what dreams would be unfulfilled? Remember, putting off your hopes and wishes for future years can well mean you never give them a chance. Find a way to follow your dreams and live the life you desire.

Finally, take a look at your life and root out the causes of your distress and unhappiness. No matter whether you live one day, one year, or one hundred years, life is simply too short to spend it with people you do not like and/or doing things that make you unhappy. Change your life now and may your next 100 years be filled with joy.

Live every day as if it were your last and make sure to tell and show your loved ones how much you care, treat yourself well, pursue your dreams, and jettison the life-wasting debris in your life. May we all live our lives to the fullest.