Sally and I had a moment a few weeks ago. We were out on a weekend night with some friends for a birthday dinner. Our friends wanted to go out for karaoke, and who were we to say no to off-key renditions of Alanis Morissette and Journey? Around 1 a.m., we both started to fade. But I asked if we could stay for a few more songs. “One day,” I told her, “we won’t live in New York, and we won’t be able to do this with these friends anymore. Let’s just enjoy this while we can.”
It’s hard to live in the moment. I know I’m guilty of sneaking a peek at my phone during dinner. I’ll get lost in my thoughts while in conversation with a friend. And sometimes, if we’re out for the night, I’ll catch myself thinking about what I have to do the next day — errands, work — instead of enjoying what we’re up to that night.
I’ve written before that for every stage of life, there’s a Todd Snider song. And here’s the one I keep coming back these days. It’s called “Enjoy Yourself”:
Todd sings:
Enjoy yourself, it’s later then you think
Enjoy yourself, while you’re still in the pink
The years go by, as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it’s later then you think
It helps to take a few moments to remind myself of what I have. Right now, I feel so lucky to have this job, to have an incredible marriage, to have such a wonderful family, to have my health, to get to travel, to live here in New York. Sometimes, it takes a night like the one at that karaoke bar to remind myself: Who knows how long all of this lasts? Enjoy the moment while you can.
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That photo of a karaoke bar comes via Ilya Ilford for Unsplash.