One of my dearest friends lost his brother to Dengue this morning. It happened suddenly – he was diagnosed last Sunday and didn’t live to see the next one.
I urge you to take care.
Not just from the disease, but from the regret of not having loved and listened to those people in your lives while they were around. Take care of them while they are alive and well.
I know it feels like there will always be time tomorrow right now. And I know they sometimes ramble and tell you things you’ve heard before. And maybe they phone more often than you would like to talk. And of course, you intend to return their calls, even when you don’t.
They are annoying sometimes in interrupting your plans and life. They may not be in the right place at the right time but put them at ease anyway. Don’t continue to hold against them what they once said because it makes you a winner in some game of moral righteousness. The only way that game ends is with you losing.
You will miss them some day. Not just the sound of their voice which you will hear in your head only then. Not only the secret memories – those polaroid moments of eternity. Not just the smell of them that cannot be replicated – or the touch of their skin pulsing with Life. You will miss their annoyances someday. You will regret those times when a flickering screen was more important than a human being you loved.
Look around right now. You have something beautiful and perfect and irreplaceable – this moment. You may not be as wealthy as you would like but you have something the richest person on the planet can’t purchase a minute more of. Use this moment to say and do what is really important, not merely what seems urgent. Take care to use this moment as if it were priceless.
Use this moment to say your ‘sorrys’ and ‘thank yous’…
Because not all of us get to say our good-byes.
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superaalifragilistic 
So beautiful Aalif.. you write so from the heart and it touches a deep place. Thank you dear friend.. thank you.
Thank you for the kind words, Kiran. I was actually crying when I wrote this one 🙂
Dearest Aalif
Your latest blog made me cry – and touched my heart and soul deeply. May your friends brother rest in peace.
Today I helped my Dad (he’s 87 and not feeling well has problems with walking and balance) to buy his birthday present for my Mom. Something that would have taken me max 1h was a 3h task BUT it was 3h I spent with my Dad and that’s what counts in the end.
Lots of love, take care Béatrice (Happy_1 @Twitter)
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Well said Beatrice – on Sundays I prefer to read a book or watch a movie or meditate. On some sundays, when I must babysit my son because my wife is at a workshop, the mind says it is a waste of a Sunday, but actually it is a Sunday most well spent! Thank you for reading and commenting…
May his soul rest in peace. I havve the same feeling when i lost my dad. I wish i would have talked to him longer when he last called me. Thanks
God bless you, Farz… Perhaps you can speak to him even now in your heart to say all the things left unsaid.
It is rather sad that many only learn this particular lesson from direct experience. That is for the most part the best teacher of course, though some lessons, such as this, are more helpfully absorbed by other means.
All best wishes and thanks to you Aalif.
Hariod.
Thanks Hariod. Yes, hopefully we don’t all need to learn this lesson from direct experience…
thanks its really nice 🙂
Thanks Anumeha! 🙂
Heartfelt condolences to your friend who lost his brother. Beautiful note. Your posts always serve as a reminder to the important things in life
just noticed you have a blogg… my condolances to you and your friend along with his family, I can imagine just how devastating this must be for them. loosing any life is never easy but loosing one so young is just devastating. Of course you are abosolutly right in what you have said concerning,time,family,concerns,ect. Many people do not realise just how short life is and to make the most of every moment, instead of making petty quarrels and vengance take over thier lives. It’s good of you to put that across so eloquently.
Thank you Sumayyah, death is great reminder that all our strategies to control life are futile. All our games to win at life are also doomed to fail. And all our attempts to secure our lives are nothing more than sandcastles.