Sometimes, when we look at the stars or watch a sunset, a heavy thought creeps in: everything ends. Franz Kafka’s words, The meaning of life is that it stops, can feel quite daunting at first glance. It sounds almost somber, doesn't it? But if we sit with this idea for a moment, we might find a hidden spark of beauty. The finitude of our existence is exactly what gives our moments their value. If a song never ended, we would eventually stop listening. If a summer afternoon lasted forever, we would forget to appreciate the warmth of the sun on our skin. The end is what creates the urgency to love, to learn, and to simply be.

I think about this often when I am tending to my little garden. There is a specific moment in spring when the first buds appear, and I feel such immense joy. But I also know that the blossoms will eventually fade, and the season will turn to autumn. If those flowers stayed in bloom all year, I wouldn't cherish that first sight of pink and white nearly as much. It is the fleeting nature of the bloom that makes me want to stop, breathe, and really witness it. Our lives are much the same way; our milestones and even our quietest mornings are precious precisely because they are temporary.

Think about a recent cup of coffee you enjoyed or a laugh shared with a dear friend. If you knew that every conversation could be your last, or that every beautiful day was a limited resource, how differently would you hold those moments? We often spend our time waiting for the 'big' things to happen, forgetting that the small, transient moments are where life actually lives. The fact that our time is limited is an invitation to be present. It is a gentle nudge to stop rushing through the hallways of our lives and to actually look at the art on the walls.

As you move through your day, I want to encourage you to embrace the temporary. Don't let the fear of the end stop you from starting something beautiful. Instead, let the realization that life is finite motivate you to squeeze a little more sweetness out of every hour. Take a moment today to find one small thing that is beautiful because it won't last forever, and let yourself fully experience it. You deserve to be present for your own wonderful, fleeting story.