How Soon Is Now?

 

Hey dad?

Yes, son?

Is what they say true?

Who?

Those that have come before me.  The ones who’ve been devastated by pain and loss.

Yes, they are true.  “Savor each moment.”

I thought so.

But son?

Yeah dad?

That won’t stop people from ignoring the truth.  And that’s the truth, too.  The sad truth.  The impact of losing someone close to us begins to wane, and soon people find that life continues as before. 

Will that happen to me, too?

I was walking down an empty street late in the afternoon with my wife.  It was warm, and the street was secluded from the noise pollution of man made things.  Though the street was paved, we were surrounded by nature.  Wonderful trees and grass, an occasional fly or bee or bug and birds of amazing color.  The wind whisped, and carried with it the smell of spring and the new flowers in bloom or the lazy river not far away.  A buzz or a chirp hung on the breeze.  The afternoon was so full of life, all moving at its own pace.

The late sun shone through the trees in a way that only happens when you’re not looking.  It was bright and warm, but low and bursting through the limbs as if it wanted to give as much light as it had before going to sleep for the night.  It was the kind of sun that streaks through the limbs and the leaves and when it hits your face each ray feels better than the last.  It was the type of afternoon you want to live in forever.

I remember feeling like that, like I wanted that walk, those quiet moments along that road to last forever.  Everything seemed so perfect.  Of course those moments passed, my walk ended, and so did the day.

The truth of that particular day was that I was three thousand miles away from home, surrounded by family but taking a quiet moment to be alone with my wife because my days were filled with the reality that my dad had passed away only days before.  The order of my life was far from perfect, but that moment could not be denied.  It was perfect.  For the days immediately following my dad’s passing, each moment seemed a gift.  The sun brighter, the air cleaner, the days more full of life.  Each day seemed like a new opportunity.  Each moment seemed a gift to savor.

The sad truth is…The feeling wanes.

Today I woke, and though the past two months have been a challenge in many ways I continued my ritual of seeking a motivational push to each morning.  An online story or a quote that will help charge my day.  As I waded through the sunshine and calla lilies and the muck and the mire that make up the internet, I stumbled across a pattern.  How soon is now?

“What you do today is important, because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.”

Let’s call this a “New Day’s Resolution”.  Why wait for a whole year to change your life?  The time to start is NOW.  Each passing moment is an opportunity to appreciate what you have.

“You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.”

And just as important, each passing moment is an opportunity to jump from your comfort zone and do something you’ve always wanted to do.  The possibilities are endless.  Because really, what are you waiting for?

“It’s better to look back on your life and say “I can’t believe I did that” than to look back and say “I wish I had done that.”

Each of us has the power savor each moment, to remember how fragile life really is and to make each tick of the clock meaningful.  We owe it to ourselves.

“The most dangerous risk of all – The risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.”

How soon is NOW?

It’s upon us.  It’s upon you, this very moment as you read these words…What are you waiting for?

Get up, get out there!

Carpe Diem!

Seize the Day!

(How’s this for morning motivation, eh?)

Make a “New Day’s Resolution” this very minute and go out and capture lightning in a bottle!

(But don’t forget to come back here and tell us how you’ve changed your life!)

Because what they say is true.

Savor each moment.