In life, when people get close to death, they embark on some kind of journey to remake themselves. People on their deathbed rediscover religion. People in their mid-life crisis discover Porsches, bungee jumping, and young buxom blondes.

Well… with the countdown to my move, I’m all about exploring the sleepy town I’m leaving. For the past few weeks, dinner has been at a restaurant—more often than not, someplace I’ve never tried before. It sounds perfectly normal, but what a strange, cruel joke I’m playing on myself; in these last few weeks, I’ve discovered at least three really wonderful restaurants that I wish I had more time to visit again and again and again… except, now that I’m leaving, I won’t really have that opportunity any more.

How in the world did I come to this? Procrastination?

When I moved here six years ago, I said to myself, “Ooh, I should really try the food there.” Or, “Ooh, that looks like a fun place. I should play a game or two there some time and see what it’s like.” And then nothing. I did nothing. Six years came and went, and here I am wondering why it took me so long to try this or that restaurant, store, or recreational park.

Don’t get me wrong; I’ve done plenty of things to keep me busy. I’m a frequent visitor at the library and the movie theaters, and there’s a Chinese restaurant down the street where the cook starts preparing my usual meal once they see me in the parking lot. I even have a few “special occasion” spots that I visit with the cat man—Japanese seafood buffets, airports, small village shops, and antique book stores, etc. But there are always those places… you know,… those places you tell yourself you’ll visit one day, except that you never really get around to it.

It’s like life. The minute you know you’re leaving soon, the more you go out and experience everything around you… because you will never again be where you are today.

The only problem with that is discovering what you’ve been missing out on all these years.

So, in my next life, you can bet I won’t be putting things off.

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