I was standing there watching a teenage girl yelling to her father. I pretended that I didn’t watch what just happened. I mean, how uncomfortable that must have been for the father?

I was sitting on a bench and pulled out my phone and pretended to text or whatever, just like everybody does when a situation is awkward and uncomfortable. Obviously I had a lot of thoughts about that scene—compassion for the father and hard judgement for the girl. But then I shook my head and reminded myself not to judge anyone, even if everything says that that person is wrong or guilty, because I am no one to judge.

The girl walked away leaving her father behind. The man looked around embarassed while fixing his glasses. I glanced to him and saw him walking slowly to the bench next to mine. I heard him sigh while he looked to the sky. I tried to go back to my relaxing-mode, but there was something there that didn’t allow me to. I had a kind of vision--Years in the future a grown-up woman crying over a coffin, “I’m so sorry Dad..” her voice with deep regret, “please forgive me!” I couldn’t stop thinking, “What if that woman is me?”

It was an uncomfortable moment, but with a big hidden lesson. My thoughts turned to those regrets I had of my past. I don’t want to be that woman. I don’t want to cry over somebody’s body to realize that I could have done things so differently.

This is something that some people will realize for themselves eventually. It is part of growing in life and going through experiences that make us more mature—to act consciously, knowing that what I am doing now will undoubtedly affect my future.

As I was sitting on that bench and meditating on this, I started to write to those people I thought I had to make things better with.

I won’t wait until your funeral to tell you that I appreciate everything you do to take care of me. I won’t wait until something bad happens to realize that I never told you how much I miss talking to you; how much I long to hear your laugh and your silly jokes. I won’t wait until your funeral to apologize to you for the stupid things I’ve done that hurt your feelings. I won’t wait until I realize I can’t see you again to tell you that I love you.

Please, stop for a moment. Think twice before saying or doing something you might regret in the future. Don’t wait until something fatal happens to realize you’re too late to do things differently. The past is in the past, but the future can start in the present.