It could all go away tomorrow. I’m sure we rarely consider that.
When we’re in our teens and twenties, we’re invincible. When we get into our thirties, we’re more driven. I can’t comment on what happens in our forties yet.
It seems to me that we’re more likely to think about the things that are in our control.
We think, “I went to school today,” and “I’m go to work,” and “I’m going to start a family”…
But you never know how something routine can become the event that changes your life forever. The scary part, is that it could be something that is completely out of your control.
Take it from me, my mother was in a car accident on my last day of high school. She was just going to the market one town over because they had better fish. Then in an instant, her life and our lives changed forever.
Look at the events in Brussels a few days ago. It was just a simple train ride for some, and that was it.
A few years ago, people went to go see a movie, and some lunatic decides to spray gunfire in a movie theater.
You could jump into a cab for a meeting across town, and another car that’s in a hurry runs a red light, swerves to avoid a pedestrian and t-bones your car, leaving you paralyzed.
These are real examples and, unfortunately, they happen everyday.
This isn’t a call to live in fear. That’s not even close to my point.
My point is to embrace the things you have today. Embrace them as if you were bound to lose them tomorrow. There is nothing that will make you appreciate what you have more than living through the thought of losing it tomorrow.
If you avoid tragedy in your life, consider yourself among the lucky few. For everyone else, appreciate what you have today since you don’t know if you will have it tomorrow.
Tell those you love that you love them. Do work that matters. Go to sleep satisfied.
And if you don’t, that’s your choice…there’s always tomorrow, right?