“Sometimes there is no next time, no time-outs, no second chances; sometimes it’s now or never.”
–
Alan Bennett
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Life is tricky.
While there often seems to be unending line of second chances standing outside your door sometimes … well … you look outside one morning and they have all gone to have a scone at starbucks.
And you are alone.
And you can’t play the ‘next time’ card or ask the next second chance to come on in. Or say … uhm … can you wait a minute? <until one of the second chances comes back from the bathroom>
Nope.
Its now or never.
And this gets even trickier.
Because while I suggested a line of second chances typically hangs out outside your door … they don’t really stand around. You just kind of envision, and hope, they are hanging around.
What that means is this is a judgment call on your part.
Now.
If it helps … the odds are with you.
Life DOES give you a shitload of second chances and timeouts and next times. Probably more than you could ever use in a lifetime as a matter of fact.
But that’s not the point.
This is about the moment when the odds say … oops … none of them available.
Now or never.
Life walks right on up to you and says … ‘what’s your call?’
And this is actually the judgment call.
Life doesn’t say (in an aside whisper) … “Hey, just so you know, this is one of those no time out, no second chance, no next time moments.”
(sorry about that)
You just gotta know.
I guess the point of this is to remind everyone that while Life is extremely generous in giving time outs and second chances … there are going to be now or never moments.
And you have to be prepared for them.
And do your best to recognize them.
And make a call.
Oh.
And, I imagine, it is also important to recognize afterwards, if you fucked up and didn’t see it, that it was a ‘now or never’ moment.
And that is important because … well … you cannot undo or go back or ask for a second chance.
Because, well, it was a now or never moment.
And you are done with it.
It is gone.
Move on.
Don’t beat yourself up (wasted energy).
Don’t try and fix it.
Live & learn.
It sucks but, trust me, more often than not … you will get another ‘now or never’ opportunity again one day <whether you want it or not>
And … at that moment … remember … “sometimes there is no next time.”
Because it pays to recognize one of these moments when they arise.