Until there is not

I recently discovered that a restaurant in my hometown that I always visit stopped serving my favorite dish.

The last time I was served the dish and every time I’ve had it prior, I’ve always thought to myself, “I’m looking forward to ordering this next time I come.” The thought that there may not be a next time — that the restaurant might close or that they might change their menu — never crossed my mind.

This is a fairly benign example of a phenomenon that is all too true for more serious and important things in life like relationships and meaningful work: there is a next time until there isn’t. And it’s important to understand that the fact that you are speaking with a friend or family member or working on an important project for the final time is rarely going to reveal itself at the moment.

With this in mind, it is perhaps prudent to conduct ourselves minus the pretense of there being the a next time.

There may be, but the fact that you can never be certain should be all the justification needed to speak from your heart and to act earnestly while you have the chance.