No Day But Today
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They say that before we even learned to speak, we learned how to cry and smile. For what language is more easily understood than emotions?
They said we would all die one day.
But did they ever ask if we lived?
“I'm going to be very successful one day!” You say, but do you know you're also going to die one day?
Afraid? Good.
We make plans, but death is always scheduled. Will it come on the very day we had planned for success?
I don't know the answer, but I do have a plan:
Get out of the bustle of the moment and shut off your computers. Forgive me and those countless others you promised to pay back; give no room for grudges as all they do is weigh you down. Remember, today is your last day and you can't afford to waste it.
Hop on a rusty shuttle and smile at everyone you meet. Yes, smile like a child watching its mother make funny faces. Overlook the bad odour and lame jokes of the shabby looking passengers. Ignore the rising dust and scorching sun, for a man who is about to die does not think of the heat. Focus on the here and now and all the beauty that surrounds you.
Make a call, yes. To those you promised to call back; those who mattered at some point in your life. Permit their flaws, childishness, and excesses for today. Remember it's all you have left.
And when you see me seated at the front of the bus, laughing loudly with the driver, don't act too surprised. Laugh with me if you can. Smile and throw uneven funny gestures at me. Tell me your last joke because after today, nothing of such will matter anymore.
We have no destination and no hurry, so let's listen to the driver tell us stories of when he was younger, for it could be his last day too! Let's sing loud songs and jump out of the shuttle before it stops. Don't be jealous if I sing better. A person on his last day has no time for envy.
No day but today is all we have, so let's make the most of it. Let's embrace the impermanence of life and make even the simplest moments count. Let's live fully and passionately, with no regrets, embracing the present and all that it has to offer, knowing that today is all we have.
Finally, let’s make peace with our maker, because after the day is over, we’ll all return from whence we came. Hold my hands and walk bare-footed with me on the sands, as we drift into blurry silhouettes. We have made peace with God and man, and now we can go.
Sincerely,
Delight Asaph, ‘20.