The difference between when you’re gone and when you’re here: Why gratitude matters. As much as human relationships can be passionate, most people don’t express what is in their heart until the person is gone. We all have a human emotional paradox: People cry, regret and love people after a death, yet were less loving and giving before that person passed away. This difference in understanding prompts an important question, how do we value those involved?
It’s common to forget about loved ones in everyday life. Family members, friends and spouses take it for granted that tomorrow will always be the day to say they love and thank them. People’s busy lives, personal pressures and routine life can cause them to overlook simple thanks. Saying a kind word or a message to see how someone is doing, or spending time with someone, might sometimes be more personal than gifts that are too pricey. Unfortunately, quite a few realize that such small acts matter after it is all too late.
The Episode
When people die that is when emotions get clearer. Death opens up a place of reflection. People think of those sacrifices, the kindness and the support they got from that person. Regret sets in when they have wished that they were even more honest about how they felt while that person was alive. At funerals, mourning becomes all sorts of heartrending times with people confiding in each other forms of love that they have never spoken.
The emotional pattern teaches you a valuable life lesson. Time is not a given and you have to work for relationships. Proving love does not always have to mean big stuff. Sometimes just words, like “I care about you” or “Thank you for being here” are huge to someone’s life. Gratifying individuals while they are there is a good way to build closer-knit emotional ties, and to avoid regret later on. All of life is more enriching when love and acknowledgment are so open and honest.
Ultimately, the people we care about deserve to feel like a part of our daily lives, rather than simply something you remember once they are gone. Love, respect, and appreciation are part of daily life because time is something you can never get back.
In the end, always remember to value the people you love while they are still here. Don’t wait until they are gone to show your love, respect, and appreciation - because time never comes back.
