Drink deeply from the cup of life..

I was reading this article in The Hindu today on death and how one can prepare for the event. It was referred to me by a dear friend whose opinion I value on matters pertaining to reading else I tend to be a little circumspect on these ready tips on philosophical matters.
The article got me thinking and I relaised that the key to dying peacefully is living a life with zero misgivings and regrets. The one thing that makes you hold on to life in desperation is an unfulfilled dream that you had shelved for various reasons. It could be anything - a trip abroad, a desire to act on stage, a keen wish to learn singing - any fanciful thought that one normally puts aside for a more practical calling - job pressures, familial obligations and so on.
However these unfulfillied dreams stick around and hold you back to life. They make you hanker for a few days more, another lease of life to do things differently this time around.
But the fact of the matter is that this might be the only time we have. Today might be the last day that we live. Nobody can foresee the future - whether tomorrow shall dawn or not is a million dollar question that is appreciated only when the answer is in the negative. Each day that we survive is blinked away in complacency. It is only when this daily routine is suddenly interrupted with eternal sleep that we fully appreciate the gift of life.
The article spoke in length abut terminal patients and how they can come to terms with death. However the truth is that in many cases there is no time to resolve issues. There are no warnings most of the time. Death can happen in a split second with no illnesses. How long does it take for a heart attack to strike down a person? How many stories have we heard of young people who have died either due to an attack, or in an accident? What do you do then?
The only answer I can think of is to look at each day as your last. To spend a little time at the end of each day to see if we could have done more, taken more out of life, done one thing new to commemorate the day, avoided that fight, reciprocated that smile. Then it doesnt matter if we die tomorrow because we would lived to our heart's content while it lasted.