If you had only one day to live, how would you live it? A rather complex question that has probably crossed each person's mind at least once. We never actually think that it's the last day, though, we always assume we are left with many more. So the question about how we'd fill our last 24 hours seems absurd and like a hypothetical scenario we will never actually enter. Last year I read a book that dealt with exactly that topic and although this seems like ages ago this book has not left my mind since. I have already mentioned 'Before I Fall' very briefly on my blog when I still considered myself a beauty blogger discussing her current favourites at the beginning of every month. Oh well things have changed quite a bit over the last year. But let's not stray from the topic.
'Before I Fall' is an incredibly emotional and thought-provoking novel that will probably make you shed a tear or two (or in my case, many more). The book, written by Lauren Oliver, is about a young girl called Sam and her best friends from High School. It starts with the description of a regular school day that ends with the friends going to a party. Until that point everything points into the direction of the 'typical' teenage drama but then tragedy unfolds and the friends get into a horrible accident. The novel thus describes Sam's last day alive but instead of dying Sam wakes up the next morning and her last day gets repeated again. And again. To quote from the blurb of the book: 'What if, like me, you could live your last day over again? Could you make it perfect? If your whole life flashed before your eyes, would you have any regrets? Are there things you'd change?' Such fundamental questions that this book will make you wonder about. And that's great because how often do we forget to live in the moment and tell our loved ones how much they mean us. It happens to everyone of us. If there are things we want to change in life but held back by fear we should try and break through it because nothing should be more important than our happiness.
On a more light-hearted note this novel made me wonder about 'the perfect day' and whether it existed or not. And how mine would look like. First of all, I do think such thing exists. Haven't we all spent an amazing day and thought how it had been simply perfect? And the irony is that such days often have the worst beginnings, start with a cancelled bus or something else going wrong. It really is down to how we deal with frustration and if we still manage to make the best out of a bad situation. What would my perfect day look like? It would certainly begin with pancakes, that's for sure. On a perfect day I would get woken up by the sunlight and spend the day in bed reading a thought-provoking and probably romantic novel. Maybe by Nicholas Sparks. Or John Green. Afterwards I would head down to kitchen to make some chocolate chip pancakes and eat them with maple syrup. And I'd have a huge cup of vanilla tea or white tea with it. Because even if the start of the day would have been upsetting, there isn't anything a good cup of tea can't solve right? After breakfast with my family I would get ready whilst catching up on some blog posts or on my favourite TV series. Then I would take my mother and we would go exploring - we might visit a place we have never been to or go to an art gallery or an art museum, as these are the places that inspire me most. Actually, there is an art museum near my hometown that I've always wanted to visit but I've somehow never done it. Mental note: Visit this museum! I wouldn't only visit, I'd also take my camera and take plenty of pictures, capturing art or people's reactions to art which are sometimes just as interesting as an extraordinary painting.
For lunch I'd go to an Italian restaurant and of course, have some pasta - if you know me this part won't surprise you haha. I'd indulge in some spaghetti pomodoro or spaghetti with veggies and a glass of white wine and me and my mother would sit outside and watch people walk by as we eat and talk about everything that comes into our minds. My afternoon would then consist of an afternoon walk but no, I wouldn't actually walk, I would explore a beautiful forest on the back of a horse because that makes it 10 times more interesting and I would feel as if I was part of nature. Last but not least, I would finish the day with a picnic in a park. I would invite all of my friends and everyone who is dear to me and we would just sit there, eat good food (which certainly involves nachos with plenty of guacamole), listen to music and talk about memories and about our day and we would all share what is at the bottom of our hearts. Oh and I would bring my polaroid camera along for this day and capture all the moments, even if I died the next day and would never see those pictures again. Because capturing the moment also means living in the moment.
That would be my idea of a perfect day and if that was the last day of my life I wouldn't change a thing. No, I wouldn't hop on the next plane to Hawaii or New Zealand, even if the hours of the flight didn't count. Because as much as I love travelling and exploring, it is about the people and the connections we build over the years. And besides you can exploring near your hometown and feel just as fulfilled afterwards. Whilst I was sharing my perfect day I noticed something else: how easy it would be to have such a day or at least a similar one. So why not call your friends and organise that day you have always dreamt of? Why wait if we can make it happen? Why shouldn't we occasionally live like there is no tomorrow? One thing is clear, I will definitely have pancakes for breakfast tomorrow.
