You think you have forever, but you don't...

Tonight I am reminded that life is short, and we are not promised tomorrow. So many times we take days, or even moments, for granted. We rush through life at such a fast pace, eager to see what’s next. However, we often forget to soak in the here and now. We focus on the big picture, forgetting that it is made up of smaller moments. I am extremely guilty of this. In fact, this morning I found myself thinking, “I can’t wait for next month, for it to be summer”. But what about today? If I had fast forwarded through my weeks, I would miss the opportunity to go to a middle school soccer game, or have a delicious dinner with friends, or a fun weekend with girlfriends. Who knows what opportunities lie around the corner? We can’t possibly know. So we must wait. And enjoy the time that we’ve been given and make the most out of the situations we’ve been dealt. I think this post by David duChemin sums it up best:

“We think we’ve got forever and that these concerns that weigh us down are so pressing. We worry about the trivial to the neglect of the most precious thing we have: moments we’ll never see again. We talk of killing time, passing time, and getting through the week, forgetting we’re wishing away the moments that comprise our lives. We say time is money when in fact the time we have is ALL we have. Money can be borrowed, time can’t. We fear taking risks, unaware that the biggest risk we run in playing it safe is in fact living as long as we hope and never doing the things we dreamed of. And then it’s too late. We watched our favorite TV shows, we fought a losing battle with our weight, we picked up the guitar once in a while and never quite finished the french language courses we wanted to do. We managed to get a large flatscreen and new cars once in a while, but the list of things we’d have done if we could really, truly could have done anything, kept growing. And we never did them. We’re all terminal. We’ve got less time that we think. Whatever your dream is, find a way to make it happen. Your kids can come with you. Your job can wait. You can find someone to feed the cat. I know, I know, there are so many reasons we can’t and some of those reasons are valid. Life is not only short, it is also sometimes profoundly hard. But I think sometimes our reasons are in fact only excuses. If that’s the case, take stock. It’s the realization that life is short and no one is going to live my life on my behalf. And one day soon – because it’ll seem that way, I know it – my candle will burn out; I want it to burn hot and bright while it’s still lit. I want it to light fires and set others ablaze. Life is short. Live it now. And live it with all your strength and passion now. Don’t keep it in reserve against a day you might not have. While the ember is still lit, fan it to flame. Be bold about it, even if your circumstances mean all you have is to love boldly and laugh boldly. Because now is all we have, and these dreams won’t chase themselves.”