One of my favorite poems is To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick, which is essentially an ode to the importance of making the most of your time:
Gather ye rose-buds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
Any day in which you can do something meaningful on this planet is a gift — severely limited in quantity and priceless in value.
If you can make memories, go and make them.
If you can hug a friend, hug them.
If you can say “I love you,” in the words of Herrick: be not coy. Just say it.
Do these things in abundance while you can so that when the time comes that you cannot, you’ll know you seized your existence.