Tag: Carpe diem

Today’s Shocking News

Today’s shocking news.

“You ain’t gonna live forever!”

Shocking?  Not in the usual sense of the word.

Shocking because of how rampant and perverse is the notion that we don’t plan for our death.

I mean, if you randomly asked 100 people, “When’s your funeral?”, how many would have an answer?

Of course, most people have no idea when, which is exactly my point.

Exactly.

But we’re all going to die.  It’s one of life’s great truths. And yet most people I know have no notion of how long they may theoretically have left.

So, my question then is this, “If your death happened sooner than you thought it would, what would you regret not having done?”

Regret Is Awesome

Yesterday, as I was adding some tags to the blog post, I typed Regret. That word came to mind because it was the key driver in the decision to ride a bicycle across the country. Or not.

If I didn’t do it before I settled down and started a career somewhere, I knew I would probably never have the chance again.

Job, career, marriage, house, bills, family, kids, responsibilities, worries, challenges, health, cars, vacations, promotions, yada yada.

And so on October 5, 1982, with $75 in my pocket, I left Philadelphia for Washington State.

Regret is awesome.  Otherwise, I would never have left.

The Fear of Living

What?

Yep, that’s our biggest fear.  But it never shows up on any list.

Why?

Because no one will admit it.

How do I know?

Because, think about it, if the fear of living wasn’t our biggest fear, why was this phrase – carpe diem – invented?

Carpe diem translates to:  “While we’re talking, envious time is fleeing: seize the day, put no trust in the future.”