Life, as we know it, is a series of trials and tribulations – an intricate dance between pain, uncertainty, and the relentless pursuit of constant work.

We face a choice:

Do we drift through existence or do we confront the challenges it oh so loves to throw our way?

Recently, someone close to me received a terminal diagnosis.

Suddenly, time compressed, reducing the expanse of future decades together to mere moments. Every thought, every task, and each wasted moment immediately felt insignificant. Feelings I’d never let cross my mind came immediately to the forefront. In the face of impending loss, all of life’s trivialities faded away, leaving behind only the essential questions:

• How many more moments will we have together?
• What new memories can we create?
• How do we optimize the time left?

But in the midst of tragedy, a peculiar gratitude arises.

It’s a bitter appreciation, but it’s there.

These events, while painful, wake us from the slumber of monotony, nudging us to be kinder, to love harder, and to value each fleeting moment.

In his book, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, Sebastian Junger highlights how disasters forge a sense of community among sufferers.

Paradoxically, humans don’t mind hardships; in fact, we thrive on them. What we mind is not feeling necessary.

When someone in our circle faces danger of any kind, it magnifies our interconnectedness, making us all feel a bit more necessary than usual.

Now that we may be facing a limited amount of time together, hugs linger longer, laughter carries a bittersweet note, and silence gains weight.

Perhaps, in some fucked up way, life throws us these hardships to imbue it with a deeper significance; to make finite that which we wish to be permanent.

But would we truly cherish happiness if it were never-ending?

Happiness isn’t about the surface-level facade of your life; it’s about the depth of your relationship with it. It’s about the profound and authentic connections you nurture. It’s about genuinely investing in what you do, the people you’re with, and the lasting memories you create. It’s about having the courage to wholeheartedly engage in your experiences instead of merely striving to craft an illusion of fullness while your core remains hollow and unattended beneath the surface.

These limited opportunities open our eyes to a new perspective, imploring us to soak in every detail, to appreciate each fleeting second. It’s the acknowledgment of life’s impermanence that ignites a fire within us, compelling us to live fully, mindful of the scarcity of these precious moments.

Life’s preciousness lies in its finite nature. Love is valuable because it’s impermanent.

I’ll leave you with this beautiful writing from Brianna Wiest (@briannawiest), urging us to appreciate those precious moments we have on this Earth:

What if there were only sixty more holidays left in your life, or fifty more summers, or ten more times you’ll wake up early enough to watch the sunrise? What if there were only fifteen more times you’ll fall asleep listening to the ocean beat against the shore? What if you’ve already read your favorite book? What if you only have three more times to see someone you love? What if you only have one? 

How fast does that change things — to think that maybe you do not have forever, though it feels like you have so much longer to survive? How differently will your eyes set their gaze the next time you arrive at one of those sacred moments, those irreplaceable days? How much more will you pay attention? How much more will you see? 

–KB