sorry boss can't come in today i was on my way to work and then a gentle spring breeze kissed my cheek and reminded me it is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world

You do not have nine lives. You have one body, one timeline, one set of years that will not be returned to you for revision. The elderly people who say they thought they would live forever are not being poetic. They are describing a very specific and very common failure of the human imagination to make the future feel as real and as urgent as the present. Your future self is a real person who will live in the body and the circumstances and the consequences of the decisions you are making right now. She deserves better than to inherit the results of your present comfort and present avoidance.

forever in awe of people who pay attention. people who wait for you while you tie your shoes while the others have walked away. when they continue listening intently while the rest of the group stopped listening. noticing your moments of silence when everyone else hasn’t. “this made me think of you” noticing things you never even noticed about yourself. people who say “text me when you get home safe.” people who make you laugh until you cry. childhood friends who keep in touch. people with genuine intentions. people who are soft when the world has given them every opportunity to turn hard. the “let’s get ice cream” at 3am friend. the turn up the music in the car and sing friend. people whose actions match their words. people who make the world feel less chaotic. kindred spirits. the trustworthy and honest. hard workers. good listeners. clear communicators. people who love you for who you are. people who don’t ask you to be anything other than yourself. people who choose you. people who stay.