“MERLE: Um, I worked for corporate America, you know, for 20 years. And my friend, Bill, worked for the same company, and he had liver failure. A week before he was due to retire, HR called him in hospice, and said… ‘Let’s talk about your retirement.’ And he died 10 days later, having never been able to take that sailboat that he bought out of his driveway. And he missed out on everything. And he told me before he died, “Just don’t waste any time, Merle. Don’t waste any time.” So I retired as soon as I could. I didn’t want my sailboat to be in the driveway when I died… so, yeah… And it’s not. My sailboat’s out here in the desert.”
– Nomadland
I watched this film over a year ago, and this excerpt really stuck with me.
Often times in life, we save our happiness for a future time. We endure life today so that we can finally manifest a perfect tomorrow. Of course, there is no harm in holding aspirations for future… although, we must bear in mind the possibility this future may never arrive. Our only opportunity to be as happy as we can ever be, is right now.
Might it be wise then, to be as present as we possibly can be, with all the good that is in front of us? To appreciate it fully? Even if tomorrow is likely to bring new joy or relief from suffering, we never know when there won’t be a tomorrow.
Don’t hold on too tight to fantasy as if it’s destiny… it likely won’t live up to expectations anyway. Don’t bank all of your freedom and happiness for another day. Cherish the simple treasure all around you, in THIS moment.