“Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways.”
—Stephen Vincent Benét

You may think that you are young or have plenty of time to make amends, to right a wrong, to say ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘I love you’ …but life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day. Soon a day has passed, then two, then three, then a week. And those simple words that remain unsaid continue to haunt our attempt at tranquility.

You may think that you are young or have plenty of time to give, to volunteer, to help those who have many more challenges than you …but life is lost minute by minute, week by dragging week. Soon a week has passed, then two, then three, then a month. And our altruistic intentions have morphed into hollow nothingness and more pain for those who silently yearn for so little.

You may think that you are young or have plenty of time to overcome those bad habits, to grow as an individual, to launch that personal development plan …but life is lost minute by minute, month by dragging month. Soon a month has passed, then two, then three, then a year. And that remarkable and accomplished persona that we just knew we would become is now becoming a more distant, and fading, illusion.

You may think that you are young or have plenty of time to make your mark, to achieve your goals, to arrive at your destiny …but life is lost minute by minute, year by dragging year. Soon a year has passed, then two, then three, then a lifetime. And those fanciful youthful visions of abundance, happiness, and legacy have now been reduced to visions of what might have been, but never will …for time has died.

Shame on me, or anyone, who would waste one day, one hour, one minute even, because I think that I am young enough or have plenty of time.

(The author of the quote at the top, Stephen Vincent Benét, died suddenly in 1943 from a heart attack at the age of 44.)

Enjoy today.
Achieve today.
Tomorrow is promised to no one!