This is a cheesy thread, maybe, but this is what happens when one goes to a vort and a funeral in the same day.

"Treat every day as if it is your last"

"Treat every person you meet as if he or she was an angel." Or "treat every person you meet as a human being, be it a grocery bagger or a rabbi." "Value every moment, and every interaction."

And so on.

These things are often repeated at solemn occasions. Do they stay with you after you go home? Do you follow this advice? If so, in what ways?

Discuss.

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In the spirit of answering my own question, no, I don't

you're not the only one.

You know the feeling of getting new glasses- looking out at a whole new world startled and awed at its acuity- imagine feeling like that all the time, in all senses.
I think that's what it means to value every moment, to be fully aware of it and appreciate it. "Every day is a gift."

(recently discussed this irl.)

If I treated each day as if it were my last I'd never go to work or exercise or save any money, etc., so, nope, I don't do it.

Yes. However, we quickly habituate to the new glasses. (I wonder if more than 80% of h.com wears glasses or contacts, btw). And it is very difficult to get that feeling of clarity again with the same pair of glasses. But this is not the same with life.. I think some of the morning davening is meant to put us into that sort of frame of mind.

But I don't know maybe this kind of intensity is not possible and not even the best goal to have? Although not with regards to calling our parents and grandparents often and speaking to them well.

The second set of statements, about how we treat people, is perhaps more achievable...

No, I don't, and I beat myself up all the time for not fully taking advantage of all the opportunities and experiences available to me.That's an interesting idea.

רבי אליעזר אומר שוב יום אחד לפני מיתתך שאלו תלמידיו את ר"א וכי אדם יודע איזהו יום ימות אמר להן וכל שכן ישוב היום שמא ימות למחר ונמצא כל ימיו בתשובה

Gemureh, Shabbes 193a.

mosheshmeal
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I dont know how to post links, but check out "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw. Its a great song on this topic.

I can't treat every day as if it were my last. But I do try to treasure the little moments in life that make it all worth it.

It is your last.

Reportedly there's a bar in London with a sign on the wall that reads "free beer tomorrow" and they have never given out free beer. Tomorrow never comes.

Sometimes I think about how I leave home in the morning - if I left in such a way that were something to happen to me if those were the last words I would have wanted to say to my wife/kids. I'm not saying to have a tearful goodbye in the morning, but there should always be a goodbye and kind words, even if it's just, have a nice day, I hope you do well on your test, you look really nice...

If you treated every day like it was your last, you'd have a lot of credit card debt. There was a House episode where the guy thought he had 6 months to live. He had 3 going away parties, sold his house, gave a lot of stuff away, and then boom he finds out it was a misdiagnosis and he is fine. You can't live life like it's your last day. It's just not realistic.

and you'd always be short on milk.

I like this quote.

"Live as if your were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
Mahatma Gandhi

Theres a movie too, The Last Holiday.