You made my day and life

A couple of weeks ago was my last day at work. 

My last days were filled with lots of goodbye zooms and emails with people I’d worked with over the last 6 years both back in Canada, Europe, England and India. 

Knowing that my last few days were approaching, I started feeling really nostalgic and appreciative of all the people I’d worked with. 

I had the opportunity to connect with a lot of these people to express my gratitude, often sharing something really specific that I loved about working together. 

I was also met with some of the kindest words. 

It felt good to tell people how much I appreciated them and to feel appreciated as well. 

This feel-good experience made me remember something that came up in the early months after losing my dad. 

I remember wishing I’d been able to have a final conversation with him to tell him how much I loved him and what it was about him I loved.

I wish I could have told him about the impact he had on me specifically. 

I remember his funeral being one of the hardest days to date, but it was also an amazing day. 

I got to meet people who knew him at different times of his life.

I got to hear what he meant to people. 

I got to hear about the little things that he said and did that made a lasting impact on their lives. 

Whenever I saw or spoke with my dad I told him I loved him, but not in the way I would have if I knew it might be our last chance. 

I wondered who else I might lose in life without warning and without having a final moment to express my love and appreciation for someone I cared for. 

I had the chance to have one of those final-moment chats with my grandma this past summer over FaceTime when she had become very sick. 

It was one of the most powerful moments I’ve experienced and one I’ll cherish forever. 

It was also a reminder that (especially with the circumstances from the last year) that those opportunities are not a given. 

Life can cruelly take away ones we love in a flash, without warning. 

I am reminded again and again that tomorrow is not a guarantee. 

More optimistically, I am reminded of how good gratitude feels especially when expressed out loud to another person. 

I am reminded that I can tell someone how much I appreciate them whenever the feeling strikes, and it’ll probably make us both feel really good.

I don’t have to wait until something ends or someones really sick. 

I can tell them today.