Live each day as if it were your last
Time passes quickly and we must cherish each day that comes because the truth of the matter is that none of us know when will be the last time we will be together again. This is especially true for traditional family holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, New Years, the 4th of July, and of course, birthdays. Life is short, even if you are blessed to live a hundred years, so enjoy it as much as you can. When I say “last time”, I specifically mean death. I’m not writing this article to be morbid, taciturn, or “Debbie Downer,” but I do write it to challenge and encourage us to be more appreciative and appreciative of the time we spend with our loved ones, whether they are family or friends. .
Take time each day out of your mundane routines to appreciate and celebrate with family and friends as if this is the last time you will have the opportunity to share with them. I don’t know about you, but when I hear from someone I know of passing or transition, my mind immediately goes back to the last time I saw him and, in many cases, to the last vacation performance we were together.
The time for holding a grudge, being petty, getting stuck in the past, not talking to each other, and any other negative actions one might regret when a family member or friend is gone is over. Recently, I ran into an eighth grade classmate in what we both considered a dark place. It was in a corner supermarket that neither of us frequented, that we met. It happened that her son was getting a haircut at a barber shop in the same small shopping center where the supermarket is located and had stopped to pick something up while his son waited for his turn. My wife and I stopped there to pick up some last minute items and when I turned around my classmate was standing in front of me. We both exclaimed, “What are the chances of meeting here?” But obviously they were pretty good because there we were. We hadn’t seen each other in five years since our thirtieth high school class reunion. We laughed, remembered and shared how good it was to be alive and to see each other. We were really happy and grateful that we crossed paths.
As each year passes, we lose more and more of our loved ones and at some point we will also be gone. So I say all this to tell you to truly and deeply enjoy your family and friends. If there is someone with whom you are separated, do your best to make amends. Live, love, laugh and appreciate the lives around you. Your parents, your siblings, your spouses, your cousins, your grandparents, your aunts, your uncles, etc., etc. Show some love today, even to someone who may be angry or hold a grudge against you. It costs nothing to be a decent human being. May you live as long as you want and don’t want as long as you live. Live each day as if it were your last, because one day it will be.