Live Every Last Day

Back to long-term-animal.

One of the most baffling phrases I’ve ever pondered is:

I do know what’s meant by this: "Live life to the fullest and don’t waste the day." Maybe my brain is just wired all wrong to appreciate the phrase. But when I hear it, I really start thinking about it, thinking literally about what that would mean.

If I knew this was my last day on Earth, would I empty the dishwasher, do laundry, or go to work? I don’t know what I would do, but it’s hard to imagine I would have much of a future living "like every day was my last."

In fact, beyond just the literal interpretation, I guess what’s really frustrating about pondering "living this one last day" is that thinking so hard about pondering the "worth" and "value" of actions to this degree completely sets my brain on fire.

Nothing could be further from living "in the present moment" unless "the present moment" includes suffering from existential angst - which I don’t think it’s supposed to?

It’s like when you’ve had a really hard week and you have a billion things you want to do with your free time and when you get a moment of free time, the weight of choosing which of the things to do first, along with already being worn out, causes indecision to spiral out of control, and, paradoxically, you end up doing none of the things you planned to do. Nor do you relax because you’re thinking so much about how you should be doing one of those things you wanted to do.

(The solution to this that works for me, by the way, is to know this about myself beforehand. I choose to intentionally do something quiet and restful — like reading a book on the couch — for as long as it takes until I’m completely past the fugue state and itching to do something specific. Only then do I know I’m ready to do that thing.)

But let’s get past that and take the phrase in the best possible light. Living your "last day" could be compatible with living "in the present moment" if it meant you woke up, determined the best course of action for the day, and then went about accomplishing that best course without further thought. Bam! Long-term and short-term bliss accomplished!

That sounds amazing and I have a hearty thumbs-up and super loud, "GOOD FOR YOU!" all primed up for anyone who can accomplish that.