Take Hold of Every Moment

A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package:
"This, - he said - isn't any ordinary package."

He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.

"She got this the first time we went to New York, 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on. Was saving it for a special occasion.
Well, I guess this is it. He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothings he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died. He turned to me and said:
"Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion".

I still think those words changed my life.

Now I read more and clean less.
I sit on the porch without worrying about anything.
I spend more time with my family, and less at work.
I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through. I no longer keep anything. I use crystal glasses every day... I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if i feel like it.

I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I want to. The words "Someday..." and "One Day..." are fading away from my dictionary. If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now. I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, this nobody can tell. I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends.
She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I'd like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favorite food. It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come.
I would regret it, because I would no longer see the friends I would meet, letters... letters that i wanted to write:
"One of these days".

I would regret and feel sad, because I didn't say to my brothers and sons, not times enough at least, how much I love them.

Now, I try not to delay, postpone or keep anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. And, on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special. If you got this, it's because someone cares for you and because, probably, there's someone you care about.

If you're too busy to send this out to other people and you say to yourself that you will send it "One of these days", remember that "One day" is far away..... or might never come...


Sebuah surat elektronik yang datang kepadaku beberapa waktu lalu. E-mail itu datang bagai sebuah pukulan telak yang menghantamku.
Benar. Aku memang mempunyai sebuah bungkusan yang kusiapkan untuk sebuah kesempatan khusus. Yang akan kuberikan kepada seseorang yang khusus pula. Aku menunggu saat itu datang. Saat dimana aku bisa memberikan sesuatu yang sangat kusuka dan kusimpan sejak lama. Hingga....
Saat itu tiba. Ketika kutemukan seseorang yang khusus itu datang. Mengisi relung hati. Menjadi teman dalam kesedihan dan kegembiraan.
Kami bergembira. Menghabiskan waktu bersama. Merangkai pikiran dan masa depan yang sedianya akan kami lalui bersama. Hingga....
Berita itu datang. Ombak besar menenggelamkan kapal yang ditumpanginya.
Tapi, sejatinya, ombak besar yang menghantam kapal itu menenggelamkan masa depan semua penumpang dalam kapal. Termasuk diriku.
Bungkusan itu. Untuk saat yang istimewa. Aku menunggu saat yang istimewa itu. Ketika aku mengatakan padanya bahwa dialah yang kusayang. Ketika aku ingin memintanya menemaniku seterusnya. Sayangnya, saat yang kutunggu itu tak kunjung datang. Ombak besar mendahului kedatangannya. Dan yang sampai padaku adalah berita tentang tenggelamnya kapal yang ditumpangi dan membawanya serta ke dalam laut.
Dan, surat elektronik itu datang. Mengingatkanku akan setiap saat yang kulalui bersamanya. Ketika kurenungkan, maka setiap kali bersamanya adalah saat yang istimewa. Saat kami tertawa bersama, adalah saat yang indah. Saat kami berselisih, adalah saat yang indah. Karena dalam keadaan itulah aku belajar, bahwa manusia itu berbeda. Walaupun kami punya kesamaan, kami juga punya perbedaan.
Ya. Seharusnya kita menjadikan setiap saat dalam hidup kita adalah saat yang istimewa.