Don’t wait for “one day I will …”

A close friend of mine recently lost his father. We were discussing the passing of life (I lost my mother during the same time) and he said to me: “You know, Sonja, the saddest thing is that I gave my dad a good bottle of wine for his birthdays the last 25+ years, ever since I started making money. Dad always said to me, one day we’ll get together and we will drink them. We never found that day nor that occasion and now I have a cellar full of great wine that I have to drink alone - without him.”

And I wondered, how many “one days” have I let slip through when I could have done something else, when I was running on auto pilot, when “something else” was “more” important? How many have you let slip?

It is during times like these that we think about all the things we '“should have” done; when we realise that our time is limited. Like my friend noted, it is the things we should have done and didn’t, that we will regret.

It’s not about being reckless, crazy or doing something stupid, but rather about being deliberate and mindful in our decisions. Like when I decided to jump on that plane (at short notice, within 12 hours) to be with my mother. The price of that plane ticket was eye watering. But one thing I knew for certain was that I didn’t ever wanted to think “I should have taken an earlier plane”.

It doesn’t always have to be decisions of this magnitude, but it is these times that make us reflect - on what is important to us and whether we make the time to do the things that are important to us.

So, what is important to you and are you waiting for “that one day when you will …?