10.27.20 // next time

I've been saying "life is short" on Instagram a lot lately.
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And by god, the universe really heard me and has been proving that to me.
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Last week, I found out about a friend who passed away suddenly.
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It had been about a year since I had seen him last, but we ran in similar circles in San Francisco. We also had hung out on several occasions in my early days of adjusting to the West Coast. He showed me Iza Ramen and was there for my first venture to the infamous Dolores Park.
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He was full of life, always down for a dance party, and new music. I still have songs on my Spring 2019 playlist that he introduced to our friends in an uber ride, one of the last times I saw him. It was a great song, Tieduprightnow, by Parcels.
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I heard of his passing suddenly, a facetime with the news left me struck. I know I didn't know him well, especially not in recent times, but I couldn't believe this human I had seen trail running last year was no longer gracing the streets of San Francisco.
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The day after the news, I couldn't stop feeling this intense sadness. I reached out to others and wondered if they too felt shocked and sad. It was a unanimous yes. I flipped to my notes on my phone and found where I kept notes of humans I met in the early days of San Francisco (I'm bad with names and details, so I'm sorry I probably took notes on you in my early days living in SF). I reread my notes about this incredible human.
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I wish I had reached out and caught up with him in recent months. I wish I had told him how much I loved his music, energy, and lust for life.
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But I didn't reach out.
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And because of that, maybe I shouldn't even have the privilege to write all of this about him. But I'm not writing this for sympathy, I'm writing this as a reminder as much for you as it is for me, that life is short. It is so fucking beautiful, but it is short.
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So, the next time you're in an uber with your friends, don't take it for granted. Listen to the music like you're listening to music for the first time, dance, and let any worries of tomorrow wash off you, because there is no guarantee that tomorrow will dance at your doorstep or that you'll be able to recreate such a perfect moment.