One last time...
Did you ever move, leave a job or say good-bye to a long time friend?
In the days and weeks leading up to the event, did you think: This is the last time I’ll mow this yard, the last time I’ll pour a cup of coffee from this pot, the last time we’ll share lunch at this restaurant?
Last times grab our attention.
We’re more present.
We take care not to miss the tall grass along the edge. We pour the last drop and set another pot to brew. We pick up the tab.
A few days ago my father called and sang Happy Birthday To You from start to finish at 7:00 am. It’s tradition. And even though I’d shared lunch with him several days before, I sat down with my coffee and we talked about all the same topics again.
About a month ago, I shared a last walk with my favorite four leg. We’d covered a lot of miles together over eleven years. That morning she trotted behind me, stopping to smell her favorite marsh smells. At one point I turned around and said, “You’re smiling!”
She died unexpectedly the next morning. I’m glad I didn’t know what was coming. It would have been a very different last walk.
We read the poster hanging on the dentist’s office wall. Live every moment like it’s your last! And then life gives us a personal reminder, just to make sure we’ve heard.