I’m impatient.
I don’t enjoy being stopped by a red light.
I don’t like to be put on hold.
I abhor waiting in checkout lines.

I seek instant gratification.
I love a one-minute thrill.
I savor a delicious meal.
I delight in a good sneeze.
I chase pleasure and avoid pain.
I live for the moment.

Did I describe you also?

Is this the human condition? Do most of us care what happens one year from now? No? Then surely we don’t mind what happens one hundred years from now. After all, we probably won’t even be here.

Why should I spend a year writing a book that you will probably never read. Why should I torture myself searching for the perfect melody of a song that you may never listen to? Why should I slave for hours on a piece of art that you may not take even a moment to admire.

Because someone will read.
Someone will listen.
Someone will admire.
Because I will bring joy and fulfillment to someone.

One of these days maybe we will understand that every ounce of time lives in this very moment. Whether we are here for one hundred more minutes or one hundred more years, we must live our lives to the fullest. We must enjoy the interaction of those we love. Our entire lives are contained in the few seconds that one is reading this.

As I write this in my golden age, I realize that tomorrow we may not be here. In one hundred years another generation will take our place. I hope my stay here gave you good memories that will last forever. I suppose we never really die. If you like, you can wait until tomorrow to read my books or hear my music.

“Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time – like to have a friend takes time.” Georgia O’Keeffe.