We rush through our days, moving from one thing to the next.
We're focused on getting done whatever it is we're doing as quickly as possible just so we can do the next thing.
We rarely savour the experience we're having right now. We take it for granted and assume more will always follow.
The thing is, eventually, every thing you do will be for the last time.
There are obvious last times. Like the last time you attend high school. Or the last time you hug your grandparent in the hospital before they pass.
But life is full of less obvious — and no less meaningful — last times.
There will be the last time you go swimming in a lake. The last time you eat at your favourite restaurant. The last time you walk up stairs.
If you have a child, today might be the last time you carry them in your arms or read to them at night. Tomorrow they may be just old enough to not want that anymore.
I used to love playing tennis. It's now been over two years since I've played. Will I ever play again? I'm not sure. But I'm positive that the last time I played, I didn't think it would be the last time I played. My mind was probably thinking about all that I had to do that day.
When we rush through life, lost in thought and not being as present as possible, we miss all that life really is.
The exercise: Do a regular activity today as though it were the last time you'll ever get to do it. This might be brushing your teeth, eating lunch, or saying goodnight to a loved one. Just imagine that you'll never ever get to do this thing again. Do it slowly. Savour it. Savour every moment. Feel every sensation.
