No Day But Today

The best advice I have received in life, did not come from a parent, a teacher, or an older sibling; it came from a song. There is a line in the song, “No Day But Today” from the musical Rent that always sticks with me when I hear it: “Forget Regret, or life is yours to miss” I had sang the song a million times but I never really thought about what it truly meant until I sang it in a benefit concert over the summer. The concert was put on for a boy, Brian from my high school who suffered from adrenoleukodystrophy, a rare disease that causes brain damage. My close friends started a group called the “Lemonade Gang” which put on shows and concerts to help raise money for research. As I stood on stage singing this song with all my friends around me, I looked out into a crowd of inspired people and most importantly Brian. You could tell he was enjoying the music. I finally realized how important the words my friends and I were singing.  I thought, “Here I am always complaining about my life, striving for perfection, living in the past, complaining about the present, when I should be just living my life. Shouldn’t I just live in the moment and appreciate the life I’ve been given when there are so many people who have it worse off than me?” I am constantly over thinking the things I do and the decisions I make. I regret saying things and not saying things to the people I love.  I think about the past and the things I should have done differently. I dwell on it so much that I miss the beautiful life that’s right in front of me. I decided right then and there I  won't worry my life away. I have been blessed with so much in my life that I owe it to Brian and others who aren’t as fortunate to not let life pass me by. You never know when things can change, so you must live in the moment. Brian was once a normal boy and then everything changed. We never know what the future holds so we must appreciate each day for what it is. Whenever I hear that song I am reminded that there truly is “No Day But Today.”