As a child, I was taught that, if I knew, really, that today is the only day that I’ll have in the world, with what care would I live that day—with what care would I look at you; with what care I would talk with you; how carefully I would listen to you; how I would look at the world around me! And I think that is a good approach to life, because then if tomorrow comes, you will have lived a very full yesterday, and you’ll be much better prepared to live anew today. – Yul Brynner
We get an extra day this month—24 more hours to enjoy. How will you invest the time?
I’ve already made appointments for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on February 29—with old friends, new friends, and the “friend of a friend” I’ll be meeting for the first time. No matter how the rest of the day plays out, I intend to heed Yul Brynner’s advice and try to take better care of how I look at and listen to those around me.
Here, where existence hangs in the balance for many of our children and families, it’s hard not to be cognizant of life’s tenuous nature. But even that heightened awareness doesn’t fully capture the essence of Brynner’s childhood lesson. Who really knows what might happen the next day or hour or minute?
Leap day is a quadrennial reminder of our inherent good fortune. But each day offers occasion to adopt a more care-filled approach to life. Hopefully, we embrace the opportunity more than once every four years…
Tom Soma, Executive Director