There is something about a funeral. I’m going to a memorial service tomorrow. My old boss and friend lost his son last Friday. Part of me feels weird because I only knew him in passing. Part of me also knows if I don’t go and show that I care, I will regret it. I feel a certain kinship with his son, because he was only a few years older than me, a fellow Pisces and someone who seemed to be seeking a life different than what everyone else is settling for.

I guess the hard part about a funeral is it digs up your own feelings of mortality and to some degree reminds us of a fate worse than dying, losing the people that give your life meaning. There isn’t much guaranteed in this world. You’ll probably never achieve a perfect body, most of us will not go to Harvard and the slimmest minority of the population ever gets to travel the world or win the lottery. We all die however. Each and every one of us will meet the same ending. Our stories all begin differently and the whole middle part is complete chaos most days, but very predictably our journey comes to the same conclusion.

So of all the things you hold dear in this life ask yourself this… what are you seeking? I suspect if it is money or fame or achievement, then those things are filling some sort of hole. They are weak substitutes for the things that really matter. Would you sacrifice the life of your child to be the richest and most successful person on the planet? I’m guessing nearly everyone would say “no.”

So tomorrow when you wake up your homework assignment is to think of 5 people that you love. Tell them you love them. Any second we walk could be our last or worse yet their last. Don’t ever leave unfinished business with the people you care about. Sorry I have gotten so mushy, but I really believe it is true. No regret is worse than the one you have for not telling someone how much they mean to you while you still had the chance.