Someday Has an Expiration Date

Do it while you can.

There is a line I have carried with me for years:

The trouble is, you think you have time.

The message lands in my bones.

We behave as though someday is a place on the calendar.

Someday, I will take that trip. I will get stronger. I will learn something new, write the book, or call the friend. I will have the difficult conversation. I will finally do the thing that has been whispering to me for years.

But someday has an expiration date.

The Window of Capability

One of the truths of aging is that our opportunities do not disappear all at once. The windows simply begin to narrow.

There are things I can do today that I may not be able to do ten or twenty years from now.

That does not depress me.

It clarifies things.

After experiences like rafting the Grand Canyon, I am struck by how alive I feel when movement, nature, friendship, and awe collide—with a little discomfort thrown in.

It reminds me that vitality is not something we preserve by standing safely on the sidelines.

We preserve it by using it.

Use your legs. Fill your lungs. Get in the river. Walk the trail. Sleep under the stars.

Take the trip. Learn the thing. Be a beginner.

Get a little dirty. Get a little scared.

Let yourself be astonished.

This Is Not About Climbing Mountains

Adventure is personal.

For one person, it is rafting the Grand Canyon. For another, it is taking a solo trip or joining a choir. It might mean dating again, starting a business at 65, or learning to salsa. It could be taking the grandkids camping—or simply accepting an invitation you would normally decline.

The point is not to collect impressive experiences.

The point is to stop postponing aliveness.

What Are You Waiting For?

We often wait for the perfect conditions.

When work slows down.

When the kids are settled.

When your partner is interested, 

When the timing is right.

But perfect conditions are a seductive form of procrastination.

Life keeps moving while we negotiate with it.

What do you need to do now—not because you are dying tomorrow, but because you are alive today?

What conversation needs to happen?

What adventure has your name on it?

What part of your body or health needs your attention?

Close the Gap

I have become increasingly interested in the distance between knowing and doing.

Most of us already know what matters. We do not need another article telling us to value our relationships or care for our health. We know that purpose, nature, and joy make life richer.

The challenge is to close the gap between what we say matters and how we actually spend our days.

Life is precious. Do not wait for the perfect time.

Buy the ticket.

Make the call.

Put the date on the calendar.

Take the first ridiculously small step.

Someday is not a strategy.

Today is.

Live Bright Now.