I’ve taken a bit of a break from writing over the past several weeks. Not so much out of a lack of desire to write, but more so as a need to power down. If the Covid pandemic and being laid off taught me anything, it’s appreciating the need to honor self-care and rest.
Then, this past Friday evening, I learned that a dear friend of mine since childhood had passed away earlier in the day. An unexpected death. Unfortunately, in our later years, we didn’t see each other as much as before. Life has a way of doing that. Still, we remained good friends and, on the occasions when we could talk and catch up, it felt as if time hadn’t even passed.
His untimely passing made me think a lot about the shortness of life. I’ve written before about how each day is a gift. Life is precious, but also fragile. In the rush of day-to-day living, it remains a challenge to remember that. However, if we can remind ourselves of this, it can become our clarion call to not shrink back from life. A call to live it as fully as possible and in the best way possible.
Life isn’t always easy. And maybe that’s the point. An “easy life” can sometimes be a life lived too cautiously, too safe. A life that is too far from what we were made to become.
Today is The Day of All Days
But a good life? That’s different.
A good life is the kind that, when you look back on it, leaves a sweet taste. The kind where when all is said and done, you can honestly say, “I did my best.”
Because our best is all we can ever give. And as we live, we learn. We grow. We adjust. We do better where we can. Still, no matter where we are on the timeline of our lives, in this moment, we’re doing what we know to do with what we have.
And that brings me to a simple truth:
Today is a New Day
It has nothing in common with yesterday, except what your memory carries forward. And it has nothing to do with tomorrow except what you can imagine because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. It’s hoped for. Planned for. Even prayed for. But tomorrow is never promised.
So today, this present living is something sacred in its own way.
If there’s any wisdom worth keeping close, it’s this: live today fully. Not recklessly, fully. Intentionally. Awake to the moment you’re in.
And in the rush of life, it’s worth refusing thoughts and actions that don’t produce anything good because they cost the most valuable resource you’ll ever have: your time.
So then, what matters most today?
It is a simple answer.
What Matters Most is What is in Our Own Control
Our thoughts and our actions belong to us individually.
Those are our first responsibilities—because they shape everything else.
Then come the obligations life place in our hands:
- Being faithful to our spouse, our life partner, our family, and our friends
- Doing well the work you’ve been assigned
- Carrying oneself with integrity as a citizen and a neighbor
- Showing up consistently for what matters to us
These aren’t small things. They are the daily building blocks of a life.
A Good Life is Built One Good Day at a Time
If you honor what’s in your control today, the results tend to spill over into tomorrow, if we are blessed to see tomorrow arrive. And then, spill into the next day. And the next. Until the days are spent.
But hopefully before then, and after enough days have passed, you’ll be able to look back and see what your life has been: A life well-lived… or a life diluted by too many wasted days.
So, if today is the day of all days, here’s a question worth asking:
What does your best look like today?
Because the future is shaped less by grand plans and more by faithful choices made in ordinary moments.
And today is full of those moments if you choose to see them.
Today, I give honor to my dear friend, Kurt Matsuda who passed on to whatever lies ahead. Rest in peace. I love you, man.
And, today, I will give my best.
What about you?
In what ways do you honor the preciousness of today, ensuring you look back with no regrets? I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time,
Marc
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