One random Tuesday, I decided to stay in bed and focus on myself. No rushing out the door, no obligations—just me and my thoughts. As I scrolled through my photos app, a memory from this exact date years ago popped up. It made me smile. It felt like a good day, and I ended up rating it: productive.
Time passed, and the day began to wind down. Later that afternoon, my mum came home from work, walked into my room, and exclaimed, “You’re still like this?” I told her I’d been busy all day—working on coursework and taking some time for myself.
She asked me to come downstairs for a bit, to see something they were working on. But I was still deep in my “focus mode,” and I grumbled, “Mummy, you really don’t know how to time these things. You’re interrupting what I’m doing.”
As always, she was understanding. “It’s fine,” she said, “You can go back to your work.” Still, wanting to be considerate, I joined her for a minute or two before heading back upstairs.
Around 5 p.m., I got dressed to step out and told my mum I was leaving. She replied, “I’ll join you. A lady just died—I need to visit her family.”
Even as she described the woman, I wasn’t moved. It didn’t quite register. Someone had died, but my mind was still focused on how productive my day had been. That was the priority in my head.
We arrived at church for my activity, only to find it empty—everyone had gone to see the woman’s family. That’s when it started to hit me: someone had actually died. I walked into the silent church, and the weight of it began to settle in. I sat down, and quietly, tears rolled down my cheeks.
In that moment, it all sank in.
My mum had wanted to spend a bit of time with me earlier, and I brushed it off. Meanwhile, some children no longer had the chance to see their mum ever again.
Darling, appreciate and honor the time you have with the people around you.
You might be busy, and that’s okay. But the way you excuse yourself from a moment of connection should be filled with love and respect. You never know how many more chances you’ll get.
With mindful smiles,
HerSplendidThoughts
Her Splendid Thoughts 
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