The Last Day

If you were told today would be your last day, no mistake, no extensions, no second chances, this is it, what would you do? Be honest. The answer you give, the HONEST answer you give, says a lot about your character.

It is a question that is asked often enough that an internet search returns many, many answers. Based on those answers, most people don’t understand the assignment. People have said:

• Travel to places I always wanted to visit

• Finish a dream project

• Apologize for hurting others

• Transfer all my real estate and holdings to my children

Others had a decidedly narcissistic approach.

• Get drunk all day with people who will miss me

• Hope the good side of me dominates everyone’s mind and I will be fondly remembered

• Tell everyone who ever said they would do something for me some day that today is the day

Even the altruists have trouble with that single day restriction

• Get all my money from the bank in small bills and give it away as I walk down the street

• Donate all my possessions

• Donate my organs

We looked at close to one hundred answers and found only one acceptable answer:

Instead of thinking that it's my last day we should rather live every moment with positivity, happiness & most important is with compassion. Live your dream each day, thank God that He made you open your eyes in morning.

We wonder if that person is a regular Uplift reader. Not to overstate our contributions to society but we do regularly say live every moment, live for today, live love share, and thank God for giving you this day. Not to say that any of the other answers are wrong. There is no right or wrong to how you want to live your life. After all, it is your life and how you live it is your choice. But most of the answers we uncovered can’t be done in a day. Or without unlimited resources. Or without the assistance of others.

As far as we are concerned, the only thing we can do if we were told today would be our last day is to live today like we always have, be present and hope we can make a difference in somebody’s life before the day is over.

Surely a single day is enough time to live a life of love, to express that love to your loved ones (quite aptly named), and to reach out to those you most egregiously wronged with a sincere apology. But if you lived everyday like that, you would not have be scrambling on your last day concerned you might miss a loved one, or a wronged one, or on misplaced energy or expectations. You would not be concerned with them because you would have already done that yesterday, and the day before and the day before that.

What would you do if someone told you today is it, your last day on earth?