"...you are screwed"

A couple of folk have been asking if I had a "bucket list" since I'll be leaving Ann Arbor next week. A silly thought (read April 20, 2009 entry).

#1. God-willing, I'll be back in Ann Arbor this time next year.


#2. Does it really matter what I do? The "who" is more important.



Regardless of what I'll be doing and when, it's cherishing moments with people that's most important. I'm realizing that this week might very well be the last time I see some people in person. That realization has been a fresh reminder and has changed my perspective on what it means to be urgent and enjoying life, while holding life loosely at the same time.


Questions for myself:

In those last moments, what am I leaving behind?

Am I doing everything I can to ensure that things and people are better off and are set up for success/equipped to take on the challenges of another year before I leave? Read Philippians 1:22-26.

Nobody told me that part of "growing up" means knowing how to keep in touch and learning to let go. "I'm really bad at keeping in touch" is not a personality trait thing; it's a poor excuse for immature carelessness. I had to learn that on my own.

I guess that's why all the older folk I've been talking to recently have all been telling me to cherish every moment I have, because "you never know".

One year is actually not that long - every day counts.

As an old friend and mentor told me:
"If you don't carpe diem, you are screwed"


Really... with all these celebrity deaths and social unrest in other countries as stark reminders, all else fades away and doesn't matter except for those tangible intangibles: faith, hope, love. Forget bucket lists. Just love people to the fullest, to the very end without reservation.