A friend of mine showed me a quote which read, “I wonder how many places I have visited for the last time?” She and I were having lunch together and I immediately asked her to send me the quote so I could revisit the idea when I could focus my full attention on it. It is an overwhelming concept. To think of how many places in your life you will never revisit. The ones that come to my mind are my childhood home, my elementary school and middle school. The number of places is so numerous it is difficult to wrap my head around.
The inverse is even more staggering. To think there is, at least, a thousand places I haven’t seen for every place I have. It is too much to fathom and yet it is oddly inspiring. It drives me to reconsider my priorities. If I only had a year left to live, it wouldn’t be enough to visit all the places I would like to see, or to do the things I want to experience.
More important is the concept of conscious appreciation. To pay attention to the beauty of each moment. One day it will be the last time and the transition between “everyday occurrence” and “never again” will pass us by without the merest hint of change. The realization that we may never set foot in our home again, or hear the voice of a loved one, or see our friends smile should be sobering. Yet how often do we say “good-bye” and take for granted we will see them again. I wonder how many good-byes I have said for the last time.
Mile 29 