Expiration Date

Working in a news station for forty hours every week can give you some perspective on life. We aired a story today about a woman whose husband was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. It was sad to watch her witness her husband's mental state decline, to experience that part of her life altering so drastically as he succumbed to a perishing persona. He may have once picked her up and walked her through the threshold of their first home. He may once have looked deeply into her eyes and recounted the first time he ever laid his eyes upon her. He may have shared his passions with her in ways untold. Now, his silver hair is trimmed by people whose names he cannot ever recall. His hands tremble as they clutch the cane used to support his failing body. His eyes reveal forgotten love and perhaps a vacancy where there once was passion. His wife must now care for him as a mother would a child.

This made me think:
All relationships have an expiration date. Whether it's when one of you die, or the relationship ends in some other fashion, they will cease. This is true of every relationship you have: mother/daughter, father/son, roommate, romantic relationship, husband/wife, wife/wife, husband/husband, friendships, coworkers, partners...

For some, this may be a relief. Some relationships are exhausting, some are dangerous, some are pointless, and others are painful. But I think regarding most relationships, this prospect of an eventual end can be liek a mini-death. You play a particular role with that particular person, so when that relationship resigns, that part of you that experiences life with that person resigns as well.

Though this may depress you, it is not meant to in any way. This is meant to give you a sense of urgency about your life. By keeping in the back of your mind the notion that every relationship has a currently unknown expiration date attached to it, you are encouraged to take advantage of the time that you have with these people. This realization will also hopefully give you a sense of self-sufficiency, as you are the only person that you can count on to always be there for yourself. You are what should define you, not relying on everyone else to do that for you.

So how do you cherish every moment you have with those people you have built and maintained relationships with over the years?