Because We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Will Bring

One day you wake up and wonder “Where the hell did that time go?”

I turned 45 years of age yesterday.  That’s as likely as not to be more than half my life over.

I remember my first day at school at Bradford Grammar in September 1981 like it was only last month.

I remember stepping on a bodybuilding stage over 20 years ago like it was just last week.

My son is nine years old; in another nine years, he’ll break my heart by leaving home.

It seems like just yesterday that he was still my tiny toddler leaping into daddy’s arms off the kitchen table.

I’m not having an existential angst over my age or the fact that I’m growing older, after all, the only other alternative to ageing is death, so I’m not exactly complaining.  But I do look back and think about all the time that I wasted just playing at life.

Is this a call for you to ditch all frivolous things and become some serious ubermensch?  Not at all.

It’s a reminder that time waits for no man and that whilst we can all roll our eyes at the clichés of “seize the day” exhortations, they do actually mean something.

Don’t put off starting your diet until after the weekend. Do it now, there are no downsides, only upsides.

Don’t say you’ll start meditating when you get a bit more free time. Do it now; a measly three minutes a day with a free app from Headspace can really bring some benefit.

Don’t say “I’ll join the gym in the New Year”. For God’s sake, do it now and reap the rewards immediately.

Don’t assume that the special people in your life know that you love them. Show them. Today, because we don’t know what tomorrow may bring.