Today I was watching This Is Us, season 5 and, for the ones familiar (or not, I won’t give spoilers anyways!) it is a total tearjerker. 8 out of 10 episodes guarantee to make you cry! So, back to the episode: Rebecca (the matriarch of the Pearson family) makes a moving speech about “the next time” and how we postpone things in life and It made me think, actually rethink, the subject a lot today.
SPOILER ALERT SEASON 4 EPISODE 16
If you follow the show and haven’t seen it yet, just skip the link and keep reading my musings! Or watch the full episode and bookmark the article for later!
If you don’t follow the series but are curious to watch the scene, click the link, watch it and come back here for the rest of the “talk”!
I think I have said it before (and if i haven’t, then here it is anyways!) that I’d rather have the regrets of something I tried rather than having the feeling of what if I have done this or that and so on.
But many times, we are on the fast lane of life. We are young, there is so much ahead to be lived on. And then whenever we are faced with a choice, it comes easy to say: Next time.
Next time I am in town, I’ll visit my friend.
Next time I am on vacation, I’ll go to the beach.
Next time on Christmas, I’ll see my family.
Next time they tour here, I’ll see their concert.
Everyone has done it. And if you think you haven’t, come on, you surely have! Think harder and you’ll find one.
The examples that I gave came from my own recent experiences. Before Covid 19, of course.
I visited my hometown and I did not plan to see a friend because she was coming to where I live soon… Summer vacation was actually a staycation, made no difference being hot or sunny at all. There was no possibility to travel on Christmas anywhere, especially abroad and intercontinentally. My favorite band played a few blocks away from my house. They haven’t toured ever since and the club closed its doors permanently.
I kept pushing things for the next time until all I had was time at home and nothing else that wasn’t online could be done. Life took a weird shift and it got me thinking about my choices and priorities.
During the year of 2020 and for what it looks like, a good chunk of 2021 (if not the whole year, let’s face it) we will have to deal with all of our choices of unfulfilled wishes. Hey, I am not suggesting here a YOLO approach, put yourself in debt or reckless behavior. It is about the things that you can do, easily, like the ones I suggested and yet chose not to. Like Rebecca did in the museum story. The museum is right there. Oh, it is closed… so next time. Then next time comes and you don’t feel good… so next time and next time…
Last time I could have gone home for Christmas, my uncle was still alive. The first days of January, after apologizing for not being able to go due to a confusing work schedule and who could take time off, we talked and most likely the “next time you can try to come for the holidays, we’ll be here!”. Until he wasn’t. It was the last time we spoke. He passed away suddenly a few days later. I am not trying to be grim or anything of the sorts, but this is real,it is deeply sad and I cannot change it.
What I am trying to say is that, don’t leave for tomorrow the things you can do today because we are always running out of time. Time, time, time… I think I said it a lot of times… But let’s say it one more time to make sure you got it: There is no better time than now because tomorrow never knows!
Leave a Reply