This past weekend, maybe you heard, a group of us met up in Pittsburgh for a raucous night of drunken awesomeness. We partied like we believed Sunday morning was never going to happen. Unfortunately for our heads and bellies, it did. But we were happy. We had a great time. We were sad to go home.
It made me think of a little phrase that I find completely annoying: Live each day as if it were your last. It makes no sense. If I knew I was going to die in the next 24 hours, I would not be living it up. I would not be out partying, skydiving, bungee jumping or fulfilling my lost childhood dreams. If I were going to die tomorrow, I’d be meeting with my family, double checking that they understood my final wishes. I’d be making sure all my affairs were in order. I’d be talking to my doctor to help me stay comfortable; I’d be talking to my doctor to see if there is anything that could be done to delay my demise, and whether that would be a reasonable thing to do. If I were to live each day as if it were my last, the rest of my life would be miserable. I’d cry a lot.
What phrase, piece of conventional wisdom annoys you because, though it’s meant to be insightful and wise, it’s really just trite and doled out without any thought about what it actually means?
