A No Longer Needed Prescription

I was in Walgreens the other day and while I was waiting in line, I overheard a lady talking to the pharmacist. She was picking up a prescription for what sounded like a loved one. While the pharmacist was ringing her up, the lady told her that the person she was picking up the meds for would no longer need 7 out of the nine prescriptions that she has. With a puzzled look on her face, the pharmacist asked why and questioned if she had switched doctors or if she was switching pharmacies. The lady began to cry and explained that her loved one was now under hospice care and that there was nothing else that could be done, so her doctor advised to not administer over half of the medicines that she had been taking. It broke my heart. I wanted to stand there and cry with her.

I began to think about how we take our futures for granted. Hell. the fact that we even assume we have a future gets taken for granted. Think about it: like the lady, we get prescriptions filled for 30 days, assuming we will be around to take it all. We stock up on groceries (sometimes overstock) assuming that we will be around to eat it all. We stack money in the bank assuming that we will be around to spend it. And here's one: we stop talking to people and treat one another badly, assuming we will have time to make things right. These are all things that we (including myself) are guilty of.

But the only thing certain about all of our futures is that we may not have one. No one knows the day or the hour that our time on this earth will end. Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't save money or stock our pantries but what I am saying is that maybe we need to stop living in a state of assumption, a state of gluttony. and a state of anger and meanness.

Let's start living a little more in the present. Take a prescription for what you need right now! If you want a new job, at least apply. If you want to try new food, eat it. If you have an eye for someone, tell them! Prescribe yourself a little more self love and self care. Be kinder to yourself and to others. Live more for today! For tomorrow, is not promised!