Do you know what a “Book of Firsts” is? It’s a book in which you record the first time you’ve done something. These books are very popular at baby showers and can be called – “Baby’s Book of Firsts.” I recently came across my “Book of Firsts”, which my mom had put together and I’ve posted a few pages so that you can get an idea of what I’m talking about.
In this book is recorded my first day home, my first time meeting the family. Also recorded is my first day of school, my first holy communion, etc., you get the idea. Cute kid though – right?
Do you have a “Book of Firsts?” Since coming across my own book, I got to thinking, I wonder if might consider another type of book. A “Book of Lasts.” You might be wondering what that is. Well, a “Book of Lasts” is similar only this time, you get to record the last time you’ve done something. The last time you told someone you love them. The last time you volunteered for a non-profit. The last time you said you were sorry. Now I suspect that you’re thinking: “How can I record my ‘Book of Lasts’ when I don’t know if is my last? I don’t know when my last time for doing something will be!”
And you’re right. We don’t know when our “lasts” will be. And precisely for that reason – I think it can help change our perspective. You see, I think knowing that we will all have a “Book of Lasts” can help us live each moment, each day as if it were our lasts.
Can you imagine how different life would be if we did that? How differently we might approach our day-to-day routines if we lived them as if we were recording them in our “Book of Lasts.”
Can you imagine how different tonight’s dinner would be if we ate dinner it as if it were our last? How much more would you enjoy the food, the company, the experience?
Can you imagine how different our last night at home would be if we lived it as if it were our last? Who would you talk to? Who would you spend time with? What would you say?
Can you imagine how different your last cup of coffee might taste with your best friend if you knew it were your last? How much slower you might drink the coffee, how deeper the conversation might be if you knew it was your last?
What about your last load of laundry? Last meal prep? Last house cleaning? How different would those experiences be if you lived them as if they were your lasts?
I think the point is, to live each moment as if it were our last.
So, as you continue your day, week, month and year… keep in mind that eventually, we will all have the pages recorded in our book of lasts. And while we don’t know when that will be, we can try to live each moment right now – more fully.