Live each day as if it were the last

Time goes by fast and we should appreciate each passing day because the truth is that neither of us knows when the last time we will be together again will be. This is especially true for traditional family holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, New Years, July 4th, 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 “the last time”, I mean specifically death. I am not writing this article to be morbid, moody, or a “Debbie Downer,” but I am writing it to challenge and encourage us to be more grateful and appreciative of the time we spend with our loved ones, be it family or friends. .

Take some time each day from 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 of someone I know has passed away or is transitioning, my mind immediately goes back to the last time I saw them and, in many cases, the last holiday function we were at together.

Now is the time to hold grudges, be petty, stay stuck in the past, not talk to each other, and any other negative actions one might regret when a family member or friend is gone. Recently, I ran into an eighth grade classmate in what we both considered to be a dark place. It was at a corner supermarket that neither of us frequented that we ran into each other by chance. It so happened that his son was getting a haircut at a barber shop in the same small mall where the supermarket is located and stopped to pick something up while his son was waiting 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 right in front of me. We both exclaimed, “What are the chances of seeing each other here?” but they were obviously pretty good because we were there. We hadn’t seen each other in five years since our thirtieth high school reunion. We laughed, reminisced, and shared how good it was to be alive and to see each other. We were genuinely happy and grateful to have crossed paths.

As each year passes, we lose more and more of our loved ones, and at some point, we too will be gone. So I say all of this to say, truly and deeply enjoy your family and friends. If there is someone out there that you are estranged from, do all you can 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 and so on and so forth. Show a little love today, even to someone who may be angry or holds 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.