[Image credit: Salvatore Vuono]

Spend the afternoon.  You can’t take it with you.
~ Annie Dillard

There’s an old saying about how you should spend your money, because at the end of your life, you can’t take it with you.  The same holds true with Dillard’s quote.  At noon today, this morning is gone.  The afternoon melts into the evening and the darkness of nighttime obscures the daylight.  When it’s done, it’s done.  Sometimes we figure we’ll just put off until tomorrow what we should have done today.  But what if tomorrow never comes?  Oh sure, I don’t think it matters if I skip the dusting because who cares, but what if I missed out on the chance to connect with a friend, spend quality time with my daughter, pay some goodness forward?  Those are the kinds of afternoons I believe Dillard is talking about.  Where we leave a piece of ourselves behind.  And hopefully we’ll have made a difference if tomorrow rises without us.

What does Dillard’s quote mean to you?