On Mortality

I will not live forever. My time here is not guaranteed. I forget this truth until something reminds me—an accident, an illness, or the simple ticking of the clock. Every day gone is gone for good. This thought doesn’t paralyze me. It wakes me up. It makes the ordinary urgent. It tells me not to waste hours on anger, distraction, or fear. It tells me to say what I need to say, to do what I can…