How would you spend your time if you knew today was your last good day?
We know it may be the last good day for a lot of people. Immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, TikTok users. It may be the last good day for the rest of us, but we don’t realize it yet. We’re about to lose our whole way of life because some billionaires didn’t get that toy car they wanted when they were five.
Even in normal times, we don’t know if today will be our last good day.
Earlier this week, I outlived both of my parents. My dad died at 55 because of complications from diabetes. My mom had a stroke at 50 that left her paralyzed until her death at 63. But I learned young how fragile and short life is. I almost drowned in a cousin’s pool as a child. There was also Mary Ann Henderson and the Carl’s Jr. robbery.
Yesterday could have been my last good day. I was cleaning the leaves out of the spa after weeks of Santa Ana winds. I haven’t had any problems in the nearly 30 years I’ve cleaned this spa, but yesterday, I tripped and fell in. My clothes got soaked in the cold spa water, and I landed on my butt. I’m having a hard time sitting down right now, but I’m otherwise OK. It could have been much worse. I might not be here to write this post.
Any day can be your last good day. Something can happen in an instant that upends your life, strips you of the things you take for granted, robs you of something or someone you love, or denies you of your dreams.
When you look at life this way, you realize you don’t have time to waste. You don’t have time to waste on petty grievances and grudges. You don’t have time to surrender to your fears. You don’t have time to indulge in hatred and cruelty. The fragility of life and capriciousness of circumstance demand we live fully. Pursue your dreams. Love wholeheartedly. Laugh freely. Appreciate every moment and everyone who matters to you.
Today could be your last good day. Make the most out of every moment.