What if tomorrow doesn’t come? There’s some moments in life where things just hit you, smack in the face, and you wonder why? Why, all of a sudden, has it hit you that every day is one closer to the end of your life? Why have you suddenly just thought about the fact that, if you were to die tomorrow, there are so many things you’ve put off or promised to do or want to do and just never found the time? Why haven’t you found the time?
Yesterday, after 10 years of wanting to and swearing that “Next year I’ll go!”, I finally went to a Book Fair. You know the kind – where there’s thousands of pre-loved books of all shapes and sizes, from all different authors, spread over dozens of tables in a crowded hall just waiting for a new owner to pick them up and discover the secrets within. It was the Bega Rotary Book Fair, and I was in heaven. I’d never seen so many cheap books in front of me before, and suddenly I missed the feel of pages between my fingers, having to physically turn the page while your heart raced and you tried not to let your eyes drift ahead and give away the secret of “Whodunit?” or “What happens next?!” Somehow, despite all its features and apps and portability, suddenly my iPad seemed out of place and I desperately wanted to do something as simple as read an actual paperback book.
It’s all these simple things that make up our lives. It’s all those simple actions, memories and experiences that really matter – the walk on the beach at sunset, the drive down a previously untravelled road, the new movie you share together, the smile you bring to someone’s face and the buzz you get inside knowing you’ve been the one to do it. All the memories imprinted in your mind that no amount of photographs could make up for or replace.
It’s sad to say, and hard for people to hear, but tomorrow might just be too late. We all need to stop saying “One day…” or “Tomorrow, I promise…” and just do it today. Start creating those memories now – start living now.