I've Never Done This Before...

Unless you avoid all human contact or take about as much risk as a mouse in a zoo’s reptile house, you’ve no doubt heard the cliché “Live every day like it was your last.” Well, last night while I was lying in bed, tossing and turning, I realized something that should have been realized a long time ago. Living every day like it was your last is probably the worst idea, for me, and quite possibly a lot of others. I believe this for a number of reasons, which again, while tossing and turning I was able to elaborate on during my battle with insomnia, energy drinks and that bottle of dietary supplement.

I recall the first time I got off a C-130 in the Afghan desert during the Afghan summer. The sun’s rays beat down on the Earth’s surface like a cop on the door of a meth house. I looked out over the airfield and into the countryside in a feeble attempt to fully take in the scene. Marines, both US and UK, milled about, pulling gear from one aircraft and putting it on another. It was probably the most exciting scene I’ve ever witnessed in the short time I’ve graced this world. I was there. I was in Afghanistan, during the largest conflict in our generation.

I remember my first kiss, something more people can relate to unless you fall into either category that I started with. I remember thinking, while our faces drew closer, that I had no idea what I was doing. But it wasn’t as if that mattered, because neither did she. I won’t bore you with details, as everyone’s been there, but recall the excitement, fear and anticipation.

Think back to your first day of school. If you’re like me and were educated in public school, remember waiting for the bus for the first time. Remember your heart racing as you saw that big yellow behemoth rolling closer to your stop, your mother reassuring you that everything was going to be okay. Think about how it felt to make new friends, finding out that they lived right down the street from you, never realizing the possibility that, 25 years from then, you’d still be friends.

Think about all the firsts in your life and the excitement that accompanied it. Think about the first time you grasped the wheel of a car. Think about a first date, with anyone, and how exciting it is to learn about someone new. How about meeting someone for the first time and knowing that you’re going to marry them. Can you imagine a world where every time you met someone you gave them a new chance to make a first impression?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any fond memories of the last time I did anything, but I have an endless queue of firsts. Each with their own stories, and their own associated excitement, fear and anticipation. Given the choice, I’d rather wake up every morning and say to myself, “Self, this is the first day of the rest of your life…” instead of “Self, this is the last day of your life… Have fun with that…”