When I was in college, I recall a dozen girls leaving me a message and wishing me happy birthday. It felt good, but it wasn’t real. It was a number that was driving my ego, and also probably a little, my hormones, but that’s neither here nor there.
When we’re younger, we have lots of friends. Our adolescent years are geared towards being around others.
In school, I majored in recess, went on field trips, and on occasion learned something. It was a good time looking back simply because of the sheer exposure to new people. As we age, this doesn’t happen.
Our circles grow smaller.
More quiet.
I imagine when I get older it’s the phone call from a long-lost relative or a friend that’ll brighten my day.
Who am I fooling? That brightens my day even today.
Other things that brighten my day:
Waking up to a loud and loving Portuguese woman.
How my dog shows up with his ears waddling and ears pointed north the second I open the fridge.
My wife making me coffee. There is something special about another doing something for you that makes it so special. It doesn’t taste any different, but it kinda does.
Finding inspiration and writing something for you. I have this need to give something, and this thing may be the best I got.
Making a stranger laugh.
As we grow older, we have less and less of just about everything. The things we start to truly care about take on a different meaning.
Maybe it’s because the passage of time allows us to see life differently.
Maybe because we know it’s going away.
When I was younger, my mother would always cry when her siblings went back to Canada or Fiji. I didn’t understand then.
I get it now.
I cried when my baby sister left us after her visit.
With loved ones that are away, every moment creates a void that grows deeper with time, and the only remedy is when we see their beautiful smiles again.
Every moment we have is precious because in a million trillion years, there will never be another.
Having a meaningful life is when we start to accept time and share it with those few things that matter, and not many things matter.
But who am I kidding?
This isn’t a new idea.
It’s the same old song.
Maybe that’s why we love classics.
You probably have a few things that truly matter.
You probably know what they are.
Cherish those few things every day.
Cherish them like it’s all you got…
…because it is.
With love,
Anand