For One More Day
As per Wikipedia the book is about a son who gets to spend a day with his mother who died eight years earlier. Charley “Chick” Benetto is a retired baseball player who, facing the pain of unrealized dreams, alcoholism, divorce, and an estrangement from his grown daughter, returns to his childhood home and attempts suicide. There he meets his long dead mother, who welcomes him as if nothing ever happened. The book explores the question, “What would you do if you had one more day with someone you’ve lost?”
I am not ashamed to say that while reading every chapter which brought out the times the protagonist had hurt his mother or disappointed her, I have cried. Not because I am a sentimental fool, but realization of the fact that there have been times in my life when I have been in the protagonist's shoes automatically brought tears into my eyes.Have we taken for granted the people who have loved us the most? Have we ever snubbed at their endeavour to make us feel better when we were down in the dumps? Have we put off spending time with them on the pretext of work? The list is endless and answer to these questions are most of the times a big YES. In our eagerness to either please others or probably to project ourselves as approachable, we have in fact receded to being what can be well explained by a Shakespearean quote:-
"We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow,
To those who love us best."
So many precious moments are lost when we try to be like someone else and not ourselves. It takes a hug, a pat on the back or simply a smile to tell people around us that they are cared for. For every snub, every disappointment, every neglect, we are simply adding hours and hours of regret that would occupy us later on. There is no bigger disappointment than a chance gone by. There is no bigger snub than being sarcastic. There is no greater neglect than putting aside family time.
It is high time we start acknowledging the universal truth that "Time once gone never comes back." If at all you wish to reconnect to the humane side of yourself and make up for opportunities lost, it is high time to request God to give you fresh opportunities "For One More Day".
