I will paraphrase a statement by comedian Michael Pritchard.

“No matter how rich you are, no matter how many degrees you have, no matter how big or small your car is, no matter how many books you have written or read, no matter what color your skin is, the size of your funeral and your spirit will be largely determined by the weather on that particular day.”

What does this mean?

Let’s assume that life expectancy for all of us is 90 years. We know that’s not quite true. For white men and women, life expectancy is somewhere between 70 and 80 years.

Due to socioeconomic factors, life expectancy is lower for Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics.

In these 90 years on earth, we spend about a third of our time sleeping. Some of us sleep less, some more. But we like to sleep well. Then our brains are recharged and we have time to process all the experiences of the day.

Another third of our lives are spent growing up. It has been found that our brains are not fully mature and developed until we are in our mid-twenties or later.

We know this is true because when we look back at what we did during those years, we realize that we did some pretty stupid things – things we didn’t even tell our best friend or spouse about.

Why did we do these things? Our brains were still trying to decide what was a good decision and what was a bad decision. We couldn’t tell the stupid things from the not stupid ones.

This simply means that one-third of our lives are dedicated to making a difference not only in our own lives but also in the lives of others.

In the last third or 30 years of our lives, we spend 10 years eating. Another 10 years are spent watching TV or working on the computer. One third of the last 10 years are spent on vacation. Another third is spent attending meetings.

That leaves us with three or more years to do something meaningful. Since most of us won’t live to be 90, our chance to make a difference has already passed. What a pity.

Let’s face it. Life is short. It’s like the blink of an eye. For many of us, it’s over before we even get a chance to enjoy it.

We look forward to “Thank God it’s Friday.” We look at the clock and jump in the car at 4 or 5 p.m. We look forward to retirement when we can have fun. We wait for life to begin when it’s almost over.

How do we get the most out of life?

I always told my kids to find a job they enjoy. I had a few jobs to pay for school that required me to constantly watch the clock. It wasn’t fun and I couldn’t wait to move on.

I have enjoyed every real job I have had. Yes, some were challenging, but it was the challenges that kept me going.

Make a difference. I hope you make a difference in your own life and feel like you are contributing. Everyone should think about “contributing to a more perfect union.”

If you enjoy your work, you are certainly making a contribution because you are always doing your best and that is exactly what contributes to a better world.

Use the gifts the Creator has given you and remind others of their gifts. In my latest book, You Can Make a Difference, I wrote about how to use your gifts.

You have more than one gift and you need to use them. If you don’t know what they are, ask a friend, “What do you think my gifts are?”

You also need to remind others of their gifts. If everyone used their gifts, we could actually create a more perfect union.

Don’t hesitate, just do it! If you feel like you’re putting something off, get up and do something, no matter what.

Have something to look forward to. Treat yourself. It can be anything. Call a friend. Eat an ice cream. Go fishing. Take a walk. Read a book.

So what will be on your tombstone? I think my wife Kathy’s might have something like “May peace prevail on earth.” We are involved in peace pole projects, so that would be very fitting.

I might say something like, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Well, that would be kind of stupid, so maybe something like, “Are you using the gifts the Creator has given you?”

But I have to think about it.

When we leave this earth, we don’t care about the size of our funeral. It just doesn’t matter. What matters, however, is how we spent those very short years from birth to our burial.

The point is, life is short. Don’t waste it. Get off the couch. Get up from the recliner. Do something. You’ll be happier.

Puzzle: You can take everything away and still have something left. What is that? (Answer: the word “healthy.” Once you use that minute of every hour, there’s nothing left. Use it wisely.)

Thank you for stopping by Sunnyside School at the fair to pick up 100% literature.

John R. Eggers of Bemidji is a former university professor and school principal. He is also an author and speaker.