Make It Count

 "Live every day as if it were your last."


How many times have we heard those words?

How many times have we said those words to someone but yet failed to heed our own advice?

Have you ever stopped for a moment to think about what it means to live every day as if it were your last?

It's actually quite daunting.

I would never want to think for a second that today could be my last day on this earth, with my wife, my kids.

That is a lot of pressure. Pressure to do all of the things in a day that might have otherwise taken a lifetime to achieve. It doesn't seem feasible.

Does it mean that I need to set sail on that long overdue Nickelodeon cruise? Should I reconsider sky diving? Must I swim with the dolphins?

Is that what it means?

I hope not.

What if you took the same quote and changed it just a little bit?

"Live every day as if you were going to live forever."

It changes everything.

What I've come to realize, is that life is made up of moments. A million, billion, trillion, zillion little moments.

These moments don't care if you notice them. They won't tap you on the shoulder if you're facing the other way. They run from us. They are streaks of white light in the sky. They are the last raindrops and the first rays of sun. These moments want you to be distracted by bigger and better things, so they can slither away without being seen.

If you want to see them, you need to look for them. You need to wait for them.

If you want to catch a glimpse of these moments, you have to be in the moment.

How can we be in the moment if we're too concerned that each moment will be our last?

How can we cherish the moment if we are fearful that the next one might never come?

But if we have no intention of dying, we might just be able to concentrate on living.

Just for today.

Just for one hour.

Just for one minute.

Just for one breath.

Today I'm going to pass on the cruise, the skydiving and the dolphins.

Today I am going to catch the moment. I'm going to strangle it and tie it to the bed post. I'm going to hit it over the fucking head with a 2x4.

It's going to know that I am there.

I refuse to imagine this being the last time. I will do no such thing. On the contrary, I will imagine a life full of these moments.

"Live every day as if you were going to live forever."



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