A few weeks ago, my dad had a stroke.
I awoke to 16 texts, and in an instant, everything else faded into the background.
Thankfully, my dad has since made a full recovery. And still, the experience was frightening and deeply unsettling.
That first morning, as my mom and I sat with my dad in his hospital room, I kept thinking about how quickly an ordinary moment can become anything but ordinary—and how fast our perspective can shift.
Moments like that remind us of something we often ignore: we don’t control the timeline. While we can plan, prepare, and organize our lives, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
Since then, I’ve thought a lot about what truly matters. For me, it always circles back to people—and to the choices we make every day.
How we spend our time.
Do we invest in people and moments that are important to us, or do we stay busy with activities that don’t deepen our lives?
How we show up.
Are we present, patient, and thoughtful, or are we distracted, rushed, and going through the motions?
What we communicate.
Do we share appreciation, care, and love, or do we assume there will be another time?
What we tolerate.
Do we address the harms we witness, or do we accept problematic behaviors and dynamics?
And ultimately, what we leave behind.
Do we strive to positively impact the lives of people around us, or do we focus on our own needs and goals?
Experiences like that may not significantly change our lives. Even if they do, once the initial shock fades, we often drift back into old patterns.
And yet, if we are intentional, we can continue to choose differently.
We can reach out to people we care about, even when we are busy.
We can be fully present, even when we feel pulled elsewhere.
We can say the words we’ve been meaning to say, even when it feels awkward.
We can address what is problematic, even when it’s uncomfortable.
And we can be kind and empower others so that each person can thrive.
I’m incredibly grateful that my dad is doing well. And I’m also grateful for the reminder.
None of us knows what tomorrow will bring. Yet we do get to decide how we show up today.