Reflections on Fleeting Time

The one essay you should read today

The Voyage of Life - Old Age by Thomas Cole, 1842 (Wikipedia - public domain)

“Man has here two and a half minutes—one to smile, one to sigh, and half a one to love; for in the midst of this minute he dies.” — Jean Paul, 1795

Last month, I wrote about preparing for the inevitable, whether in life or in work. Perhaps you read it.

There’s another essay — one that’s much more personal, detailed, and worthy of your time — that I’d like to present.

Last year, Jack Thomas, a longtime journalist for The Boston Globe, wrote a powerful and poignant essay on being diagnosed with terminal cancer. It was published in The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine on July 21, 2021.

It’s simple yet gorgeous writing that captures the heart of his own situation, but that could easily reflect any of our own, substituting details that are specific to our experiences.

As the saying goes, fate has dealt me one from the bottom of the deck, and I am now condemned to confront the question that has plagued me for years: How does a person spend what he knows are his final months of life?