How Much Time Do You Really Have?

There was a man I knew who I admired very much. Every once in a while I would stop at his shop to ask him questions, to get advice, or just to talk. He gave me knowledge and inspiration. Still, he was really no more than an acquaintance of mine.

Then one day, in a spare moment, I stopped by to say hello. A sign on the store said that the business was closed—my acquaintance had passed away.

I was shocked. I had just seen him—when? A few weeks ago, perhaps. There was so much more I would have asked him, so much more I could have learned from him and about him. It's one of those moments in life that makes you think about time. We are each allotted just so much, and we have no idea what that time may be. It makes you realize that in the time we have, we must appreciate every person we come across. Each and every life has value and things to share. There is no better reminder than death, especially sudden death, that we must treasure our time here, we must wake up every day and grab the most of it.

A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.

—Charles Darwin,
naturalist