This Could Be the Last Time…

” Well this could be the last time
This could be the last time
Maybe the last time, I don’t know
Oh no”

– Jagger, Richards

I often spend a good portion of my day thinking about things.  I come up with all sorts of odd questions, and notice all sorts of interesting things in my travels.  All of this thinking causes what I like to call “brain worms”, and this latest is one I think that’s important to share.

This “brain worm” surrounds the idea that there are countless things in life that we do, think, or say for the last time and we have no idea its the last time we are going to do, think, or say them.

I know you’re like “yea duh” probably right now, but think about it like this.

There WAS a last time your crew from high school hung out.

There WAS a last time your adult child was small enough to be picked up in your arms.

There WAS a last time you rode your bike, ate your favorite food, played your favorite video game, or watched your favorite movie.

And sometimes it becomes the “last time” because our health fails us, and the Universe claims our spirit.

While I was thinking about several “last times” in my life (last Thanksgiving at my grandfather’s house for instance), an important notion came to mind as thought more and more about last times…

In life, we may not have a choice about what happens to us, but we ALWAYS have the choice in how to respond.  That’s very applicable to thinking about “last times” because it could be very easy to think of these “last times” with a sad note, a note of longing and missed opportunity.

I think it is more important to think about them as positives, as moments to celebrate in your life’s timeline.  Perhaps if you do feel it is a missed opportunity, it could be a time for growth, a time to go out and DO the thing AGAIN so there’s a new last time!

Bottom line, I don’t think we should be spending our time sitting around worrying about it being the “last time” we do, say or think something.  I think we should all share a basic understanding that each moment in our life could be our last, so we should always be working hard to be making choices with our wise minds so we can be successful in life.

This means doing things like telling your kids, spouse, parents you love them every chance you get.  This means making sure everyone that is important to you in your life gets reminded that of importance on a frequent basis.  This way all of the important relationships in our lives can end on a positive note instead of regret, as I am sure most of yins reading this have that one relationship that haunts you because of how bad it ended.

I guess the old saying IS true, that when you keep one foot stuck in what happened yesterday and your other foot stuck in planning of the future, you piss all over today.

Make sure yins enjoy TODAY because, well, it might be the last time!

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• Ryan Delaney, MA, LPC, CCTP