A Lesson From 2k20

‘Bye’, ‘talk to you later’, ‘see you later’, ‘see ya’, ‘goodnight’, ‘see you there’, and many more greetings exist and are used by us everyday to exchange pleasantries. We use these greetings to signify an end to various exchanges and encounters we have daily. They indicate our intention or hope of being present at a future point in time without even being sure of what would happen a mere five minutes after uttering those words.

Think about it. We see our friends and family at varying levels of frequency. Some of us, daily and others less frequently. We often measure our time spent with them in years, months, weeks, and so on. Here’s what I mean; For instance, when we attempt to state the duration of our relationships, we often say or imply that we’ve known a certain person for a number of months/years. We do so too when we estimate how many more years we have left to spend with these people but is that a profound way to really ascertain and consequently value the time we have left with our friends, family or loved ones?

Take your parents for instance. When was the last time you spoke with them over the phone? When was the last time you spoke in person? When was the last time you saw your siblings? If you really want to see how much you’re taking for granted, try not to look at the future in terms of how many more years you have left to spend with them but instead, in terms of how many more visits, phone conversations or text messages. You’ll begin to see things from a different perspective. This hits a sensitive spot especially for those who live far from home. How much time do you really have left with those you love? How many more visits, phone calls, or text conversations do you have left?

What I’m saying in essence, is probably something you’ve heard or read somewhere before. We have a finite amount of time on this planet. This year has gone to great lengths to remind us of that and how we cannot afford to let time keep going by and taking love and our expression of it for granted. Cherish the time you have now with those you love. Tomorrow is not promised.