Yesterday a friend of mine passed away far too young, after what turned out to be a very short battle with cancer.
I’ve spent a lot of time today thinking about life and mortality and how fragile it all can be.
We spend so much of our lives worrying and playing it safe, but where does that get us? It can all change so fast.
None of us get as much time as we might like, but we could make more of it.
So here’s to the things we should all remember. The things we know, but ignore, as we succumb to the pressures of making a living, of responsibility, of comforting our exhausted minds and bodies with food and drink and too much television.
Remember to tell that person you love them. Hold their hand in the street, dance in the kitchen, stay in bed all day.
Don’t get too hung up on the housework or whether it’s their turn to pay the gas bill. Dirty socks aren’t the best reason to end a relationship.
Work hard when it’s the best thing for you, but stop before you burn out. There’s nothing wrong with being selfish sometimes, whether that means turning off your phone or turning down more responsibility at work.
Don’t worry about that email you forgot to send, or what your boss really thinks of you.
Stay up all night talking, chase the moments that are few and far between. When they appear they’re more important than getting your full eight hours or going to the gym. Clean house or full heart.
Don’t let that job you hate ruin your life and bleed into your weekends and evenings until you can’t breathe.
Run outside in the rain. Take a risk. Stand and look up at the stars; find freedom in the sheer magnitude of the universe and your own insignificance in the face of its beauty.
Don’t forget your dreams, even if the space they take up in your life grows smaller the older you become.
Turn up the music and sing along. Shout, scream the words; feel them roaring in your veins. Tattoo the best ones on your skin. Close your eyes and spin. Fall down. Fall down, but get back up.
Don’t let yourself be lonely. Reach out.
Write that book, even if you’re afraid of failure or what people might say. Finish it and show it to someone else. Let them in. Listen to criticism, but only the bits you can learn from.
Don’t sleepwalk towards the easy option every time.
Remember to stop sometimes and just be. Reflect on your life and realise that there are so many amazing things and people in it, even on the bad days, even when you have to drag yourself out of bed or hold back the tears at work.
You might be afraid or unhappy or broken sometimes, but there will be good times too.
There will be love.