No Day But Today

"Who's sitting here?" the professor asked, pointing to an empty seat in front

"Ms. Reyes*, sir"

"Where is she? Is she still alive?"

The class laughed.

"Why are you laughing at the prospect of her death?"

The professor was making the class laugh as usual, but what he said was actually profound.

There we were, in Succession class. Where Death is a given, and the questions left to be
answered were "whether or not there was a valid will" or "whether or not the decedent have heirs..." etc etc.

We laughed because, I think, we do not really think that Death is going to come for us sooner or later.

We are young. And, if i may say, ambitious (we wouldn't be slaving away in this law school,
if we didn't want to become lawyers someday, would we?).

We have high hopes for the future.
The thought that Death can claim us anytime is suppressed by the things we look forward to, (along with the provisions and cases we need to read and remember.)

However, I am always reminded of Death.

In Ateneo, there have been three deaths this semester.
Young, brilliant individuals taken away.

I think of my dear friend PK, who, last Valentines day, was just dropping off his children to school when his car got hit by an overspeeding bus.

Last sunday, I encountered at least five different funeral processions along Katipunan and Marikina.

Yesterday afternoon, I was unplugging my laptop, when my finger made contact with the plug
which was not yet completely removed from the socket. I got electricuted. I felt shocked.
My arm went numb for an hour.

I am fine now.
But I just couldn't stop thinking what a close call it was.

I couldn't help thinking "What if I had died? What would I leave behind? What would people say about me?" (I hope they wouldn't say I was too careless with wires. haha)

Just this week, I read that Paul Newman died. His friend Sally Field said "Sometimes God
makes perfect people, and Paul was one of them"

He was described as a business mogul, and a heartthrob, but what touched me was that he
was also described as a loving and generous man.

Yesterday afternoon's incident got me thinking... "Have I loved enough? Did I show people that I cared?"

Have I told the people I love that I loved them, today?

I sent messages to my family that I loved them, without explaining what happened.

I had short chats on the phone with them, and repeated that I loved them.

Two of my friends laughed at my actions yesterday and said I was being too melodramatic.


Death is unthinkable. But it is inevitable...

and it can come like a thief in the night.

So, am I too dramatic? Am I over reacting?

Maybe.

I'd still say I love you, anyway.



How about you now, have you spread out love today?


As my one of my favorite songs from Rent goes... "No day but today".

No day but today.


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*name changed