Don’t Wait

Time is a thief. It steals from you when you’re not looking. We, as humans, have a false sense of security that tomorrow is going to come. What if it doesn’t? Look at all the time we’ve wasted. Think about all the things that we should have done or wanted to do, but didn’t.

Why didn’t we? Was it because of money or time? Or, maybe we didn’t want to feel selfish or put off other responsibilities. But at the end of the day, what matters more?

We like to think that we’ll know ahead of time, that a loved one is going to die. That’s a nice thought and it makes us feel good. But the truth is, that in most cases we won’t know. We have no idea when that day is going to come. A life can be taken in an instant. It is crucial that we realize that. Time is not something to play around with. We don’t know how long it’s going to last.

In almost a sense of urgency, I’m feeling compelled to do things, now. I read a post yesterday about a girl who had planned a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip with her mother, but they kept putting it off. Her mother ended up passing away, so they never got the chance to make the trip. Now the girl is going on the trip, alone, in her mother’s honor. That is terribly heartbreaking.

My mother and I have a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip planned, that we’ve been discussing for years. Unless something drastic happens between now and then, we will be making that trip this upcoming summer. We may not have another year. We may not have next week. Time is not guaranteed.

As I wrote the “What If – Making Dreams Come True” post yesterday, I thought of all the things I want to do before I die, both for me and for others. There are so many dreams that I want to see become a reality, both big and small. Oh, how I wish I could do them all now.

Unfortunately some will have to wait, for there is nothing I can do to make them happen. Only time can do that. By waiting, I realize that I risk never fulfilling them at all and I have to be okay with that.

But as for the others that are in my reach, I can certainly do them now and I should. “Why put off something for tomorrow that you can do today?” At the very minimum, we should at least express our love towards others while we have the opportunity to do so.

Is there something that you’ve always wanted to tell someone, but never have? Is there someone in your life who you’ve failed to say “I love you” to recently, or shared with them your appreciation? If so, there is no better day than today to do it.

Don’t wait till Christmas, their birthday, Mother’s day or Father’s day to tell them. Tell them now, for only this very moment is guaranteed.