My DH lost his grandfather this week. Despite the fact that he’d said frequently that he was amazed that after two heart attacks the man was still with us, his death has hit my hubby hard. In fact, it’s hit his entire fractured family hard.
People cope with death differently. My MIL posted on FB that this has taught her not to put off the hugs or the I Love You’s till tomorrow. She had a very rocky relationship with her father, so her remorse deeply saddens me.
What I thought was most interesting was what her sister said. She wrote, “We never got our tomorrow.” This saddens me even more, because it shows that even after this “seize the day” event, she still doesn’t get it.
Tomorrow is not a promise. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. So don’t wait. Don’t wait to tell your loved ones how you feel. Don’t wait to forgive till someone is forgivable. Don’t wait till the bills are paid, till you have children, till the children are grown, till you’re older. Don’t wait to go to school, to switch careers, to get married, to get divorced, to lose the weight, to run a marathon . . . whatever it is you want to do, whatever you’d be sorry you never did. Do. It. Now.
The problem for my husband’s aunt is not that tomorrow never came. The problem is that she did not use the tomorrows she was given. And she’s not alone. We all do it to a certain extent.
So I’m attempting to take this to heart: learn from those around me and make changes accordingly. Live each moment to the fullest, because it is a gift. Each and every one.
So what will I change? What’s on my bucket list?
