What if there was no tomorrow?
A good man died this weekend. He was a son, a friend, a mentor, a husband, and a father of 3. He was late 30’s and went into the hospital last week for head pain, by Wed the doctor’s felt he was good and they had figured it out, Thursday he had a stroke and by the weekend he had passed away. So quick. Just two weeks ago I was in a meeting with him and he was great, today I look over at his cubicle and wonder who will be tasked with cleaning it out. I didn't know him well enough to feel the loss as other’s have, however, what I do feel is the reminder of the fragility of life.
Most of us are told to eat right, exercise, get 8 hours of sleep, work less, play more and we’ll live a long and beautiful life. For some this is the case, for other’s it won’t be. For all of the pain and trauma I have experienced in my life, death is not something I have much experience with. The only close death I have experienced was when I was around 8 and a woman I referred to as my grandmother passed away. I remember feeling incredibly sad, but not fully understanding what it all meant. I've had friends whose parents have passed away – I sympathize but then quickly compartmentalize the sadness. I can count on one hand the number of funerals I have been too and the most recent was over 10 years ago.
Upon hearing of my coworkers death I immediately texted, emailed, and called people – some whom I speak to regularly and others whom I don’t but who it was important I reached out. I didn't hear back from a couple of people – sure they wondering why I sent an “I miss you” out of the blue email/text, but that wasn't the point of the exercise. The point was for me to say it, because whether or not a response is given I believe everyone appreciates hearing it. Everyone needs to hear it.
To be cliché – life is short. Everyone thinks they have time – time to do things and say things. There is always tomorrow. But what if there weren’t? What if today was it?
I miss you and I love you. Overused and under said.
Most of us are told to eat right, exercise, get 8 hours of sleep, work less, play more and we’ll live a long and beautiful life. For some this is the case, for other’s it won’t be. For all of the pain and trauma I have experienced in my life, death is not something I have much experience with. The only close death I have experienced was when I was around 8 and a woman I referred to as my grandmother passed away. I remember feeling incredibly sad, but not fully understanding what it all meant. I've had friends whose parents have passed away – I sympathize but then quickly compartmentalize the sadness. I can count on one hand the number of funerals I have been too and the most recent was over 10 years ago.
Upon hearing of my coworkers death I immediately texted, emailed, and called people – some whom I speak to regularly and others whom I don’t but who it was important I reached out. I didn't hear back from a couple of people – sure they wondering why I sent an “I miss you” out of the blue email/text, but that wasn't the point of the exercise. The point was for me to say it, because whether or not a response is given I believe everyone appreciates hearing it. Everyone needs to hear it.
To be cliché – life is short. Everyone thinks they have time – time to do things and say things. There is always tomorrow. But what if there weren’t? What if today was it?
I miss you and I love you. Overused and under said.