His eyes moved to the chair over which she had thrown some of her clothes. A petticoat string dangled to the floor. One boot stood upright, its limp upper fallen down: the fellow of it lay upon its side. He wondered at his riot of emotions of an hour before. From what had it proceeded? From his aunt’s supper, from his own foolish speech, from the wine and dancing, the merry-making when saying good-night in the hall, the pleasure of the walk along the river in the snow. Poor Aunt Julia! She, too, would soon be a shade with the shade of Patrick Morkan and his horse. He had caught that haggard look upon her face for a moment when she was singing Arrayed for the Bridal. Soon, perhaps, he would be sitting in that same drawing-room, dressed in black, his silk hat on his knees. The blinds would be drawn down and Aunt Kate would be sitting beside him, crying and blowing her nose and telling him how Julia had died. He would cast about in his mind for some words that might console her, and would find only lame and useless ones. Yes, yes: that would happen very soon.
The air of the room chilled his shoulders. He stretched himself cautiously along under the sheets and lay down beside his wife. One by one, they were all becoming shades. Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.

From “The Dead” by James Joyce

This snippet is a terrific piece of writing by a genius like James Joyce. After a night of fun and pleasure, the protagonist contemplates his wife lying in bed. Instead of planning an amorous closure to the evening of reveling, his mind shifts to his inevitable disappearance from the world of the living. “He stretched himself cautiously along under the sheets and lay down beside his wife. One by one, they were all becoming shades. Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.” Live fast, love hard, and die young is a familiar maxim. It reminds me of a poem that I wrote in my book “Afterlife Tracks” at the death of a young patient of mine,

What is life?
It is an illusion, a joke,
A flash of laughter,
A chat among friends.

Why did you live life so fast,
Without sipping its taste?
Why did you swoop on it,
Like an eagle to its prey?

We should take our time and look at life with optimism. Our daily living should focus on the pursuit of happiness. I prefer my own dictum: live long, love much, and die healthy. Now let’s us raise our glasses and toast for a Happy New Year 2016.