Today Delayed, Tomorrow Never Came
The Slow Death of a Procrastinator
Adapted from Unknown Author
Once, there lived a child. He lived in a happy family, with parents and siblings. However, he never stopped to think about how wonderful his life had been. He just kept on playing, squabbling with his siblings when they did not want to play what he wanted to play. However, when he wanted to apologize, he always said, “Never mind, there’s tomorrow”.
When he grew up a little, school was a very nice place for him. He learned, made friends, and was very happy. However, he never thought that this was happiness to him. It all came so naturally that he felt it should become part of his life. One day, he had a great fight with his best friend. Though he knew he was in the wrong, he never took the initiative to apologize or made up with his best friend. His excuse was, “Never mind, I’ll do it tomorrow”.
When he grew up yet some more, that best friend was no longer part of his life. Even though he still sees his friend around, but they don’t even greet each other. But that was all right, because he still had other good friends. He and his friends did almost everything together, eating, playing, doing homework, and fooling around. Yes, they were another bunch of very good friends.
When he graduated, work kept him very busy. He found a very pretty and virtuous girlfriend and she soon became his constant companion.
He made himself busy with work, because he wanted to get promoted to the highest position with the shortest time possible. Sure, he missed his good friends. He missed them a lot. But he never got down to keep in touch with them, not even a telephone call. He always said, “Boy, I’m so tired, I’ll catch up with them tomorrow.” It didn’t affect him at all because he could find colleagues who are always willing to go pubbing with him. Thus, as time passes by, he’d forgotten to call his friends.
After he’s got married with kids, he worked even harder in order to bring comfort to his family. He never bought flowers for his wife anymore, nor did he remember his wife’s birthday and their wedding anniversary. It was all right because his wife always understood him, and never blamed him. Of course, he felt guilty at times and wanted very much to have a chance to say to his wife “I love you”, but he never got down to doing it. His excuse was “never mind, I’ll do it tomorrow for sure”. He never made it to his children’s birthday parties, but his time he did not knew how it would affect the children. The children began to drift away from him, as they never really spent time with their father.
One day, disaster struck when his wife was killed in an accident. It was a hit-and-run accident. But on that day, he was in the middle of a meeting. Failing to understand that it is a fatal accident, he arrived by his wife’s deathbed only to see her on the verge of death. Before he could mouth out the words “I love you”, his wife already passed away.
The man became despondent and tried to find solace in his children after his wife’s death. However, he soon realized that the children do not even try to communicate with him.
Soon, his children grown up and found their own families. Nobody cared for this old man who in the past hadn’t spared his time for them.
He moved into the best Old Folk’s Home, which provides excellent service with the money he had saved for himself and his wife’s 50th, 60th, and 70th anniversary celebrations. All the money intended to go to Hawaii, New Zealand, and other countries now went into the fund that pays for his stay in the Home.
From that time until his deathbed, there were only old folks and nurses taking care of him. He now felt the loneliness that he did not feel before.
Upon his deathbed, he called a nurse in and said to her, “Ah.. if only I had realized this earlier” and died with tears upon his cheek. Never too early to know, that Death is not a procrastinator.
Time never stops. Before you realized it, you’ve already gone very far. If you had quarrelled, make up quickly! If you feel you need to hear your friend’s voice, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone. If there are many dreams that you wish to fulfil, fulfil them as soon as possible.
Lastly, but most importantly, if you feel you need to tell somebody that you care, don’t wait until it is too late. If you keep thinking you will do that another day, then that day will never come. If you always think that tomorrow will come, then “tomorrow” will run out quickly and you’ll realize all the tomorrows that you’ve left are behind you.
