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Expiration date isn't one that matters most
(by Christine Thome - October 13, 2011)
BEYOND MY CONTROL, BY CHRISTINE THOME
Expiration date isn't one that matters most
There are some things in life that don't have an expiration date, but should.
My husband's T-shirt collection expired years ago. And sometimes it smells like it too. No man over the age of 40 should still be excited about accumulating T-shirts, but he does, and it's one of those marriage battles I've decided not to pick. Mainly because I figure I'll get the last word and bury them all with him. That will teach him.
The whole reality television genre expired almost as soon as it started, yet it continues to stink up and curdle our society with its sludge. Someone really needs to pull the plug on this one. Literally.
And then there are moments in life that do come to an end that we wish could go on forever. A fall day full of vibrant color. A stunning sunset. The life of a loved one.
We all have an expiration date. Some know ahead of time when that day will come, and others are unaware right to the end. But it isn't our expiration date that we should be concerned about.
Instead, we need to focus on our "best when used by" date.
Our "best when used by" date is not our death date but our living date. It signifies the window of opportunity we have to accomplish something. An opportunity in your 20s may not be there in your 40s.
We are all placed on this earth to do something, to make a difference. Even a small one. We all have gifts and talents that will waste away if we don't put them to good use.
Steve Jobs is a perfect example. He changed the world -- maybe even the universe -- with his talent and vision. And even though he was aware that his expiration date would arrive sooner rather than later due to his cancer, he did not let a second of his life go to waste.
Steve Jobs made a big difference in the world. Our generation may not ever experience a visionary like him again, someone on par with Edison, Ford and Einstein. He completely changed the way we communicate and do business, making the world a smaller, more personal place.
But you don't have to be a genius or a millionaire to make a difference in the world; you just have to find your passion and share it with others.
John and I recently attended the wake of Dave Griffiths, a well-respected Chagrin resident and Cleveland lawyer and judge. Although it was a very sad and unexpected event, I feel fortunate to have known someone so passionate about his family and his community.
We arrived early to the funeral home, but there was already a long line snaking out the back and down the driveway. I'd have to have an open bar at my funeral to get even half that many people to show up.
We know Dave's daughters better than we knew him, but, judging from the faces in the crowd, some old, some young, he touched many people with his generosity and commitments, and, like us, they wanted his family to know he had made a difference in their lives.
I'm sure there were things Dave still wanted to accomplish, but I bet he would agree that he got the most out of his "best when used by" date.
Some people live well beyond their "best when used by" date. And that's a shame. Filled with regrets and disappointments, they wonder what might have happened if only they had taken a different path or followed their dreams.
In their song "Dust in the Wind," the rock band Kansas, sang, "nothing lasts forever except the earth and sky." Judging by the way we live today, those might not be around forever either.
So get out there and do something. Anything. Make a small difference. Make a big difference. Make yourself happy. Make others happy. Find your passion and act on it. Go out of this life absolutely exhausted and make the most of every opportunity well before your "best when used by" date.
Don't look back and ask, "What if?"
Instead, look forward and ask, "What's next?"
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