There Is Always Tomorrow…
On the way home from Judo with my two older sons.
It was one of those days where you just want to stay inside with a book/movie/coffee/whatever your indulgence is…
Gray skies, been raining off and on all day, and we were picking up pizza for pizza and movie evening at home.
Not only because I love pizza AND love movies, I love pizza/movie night because it has become part of the cadence of our family life. The only thing is that these days…it has become pizza and two different movies.
The teenage boys don’t usually want to watch the same thing as their younger siblings anymore…everyone keeps getting older…😢
Waiting to turn into the pizza parking lot, my peripheral vision suddenly went on alert.
As we began the turn, everything slowed.
Funny how things happen really fast AND really slowly at the same time sometimes.
My Brain: Is that car going to hit us?
Me: Nah…I think we will make it.
Brain: Um…doesn’t look like it.
Me: Hmmm…my son William I’m sure sees it.
Brain: AGAIN…does NOT look like it.
Me: I wonder why we aren’t turning faster?
Brain: Because it’s wet, and William doesn’t know that car is about to hit us…
Me: Wait…WHAT!?!?!?
And in that moment of impact, I was terrified, grateful, embarrassed, hopeful against hope, and calm…all at the same time.
Terrified that my son in the rear seat was right at the point of impact. Grateful we were in the Lincoln Towncar (basically a boat on wheels), embarrassed that I hadn’t seen it coming to help my son, hopeful that it wouldn’t be as bad as I feared, calm because there was nothing I could do except let it happen.
After the impact, we parked in the center lane and began working through the aftermath of what happened.
All of us in our car were ok. Physically, anyway. Emotionally…another story.
I went to check on the other driver. No injuries, but it was the young driver’s first wreck, and she was flooded with emotions.
Thankfully, everyone walked away no problem from the wreck. Cars can be replaced. That’s why we have insurance.
But…in that moment…I was reminded just how much I take for granted in life.
Like the future.
The certainty that there is always tomorrow.
Because the reality is that tomorrow is NOT guaranteed.
We made it home safely that day. It could easily have turned out differently.
Human nature being what it is, I was thinking differently for the entire next week.
At bedtime, I hugged my kids a little bit longer than normal. When I was in the office, I told my business partner him how grateful I am for him. I called my parents to tell them I love them.
It’s a paradox we live in, where we often stress out about the future and miss the present. If we don’t work to grow and change, our future will be more of the same. More of the same stress, pain, fears, everything. But if we focus exclusively on that, we miss out on what is happening right now.
My goal is to work to become the best version of me that I can be, so that I can accomplish what I have been called to in this life. And at the same time, to enjoy the moments that make up the journey.
Not only am I renewed in my connection with my family, but I’m also turning that awareness to business. Too often I’ve procrastinated, thinking there is always tomorrow to start.
I can start writing tomorrow. I can analyze and underwrite that property tomorrow. I can start working on a new process tomorrow. I can fix that broken link tomorrow.
So far, there has always been a tomorrow.
But tomorrow…there might not be one.
What can I do today to keep moving forward? To grow in relationships and business.
Tomorrow might be too late…
