Taken for granted

There’s no doubt that “I didn’t get to” and “I should have” almost always begin the saddest sentences. It’s just so happens that we say them the most after someone close to us to us passes or is now out of our lives.

It’s at these moments that we finally realize that we’ve taken these people for granted.

Before you blame yourself entirely for this, please know that this happens sometimes.

Some people are just taken as a given because you’re always used to their presence or you get so consumed with your life, you just forget.

This all stems from our deep-seated belief that everything lasts forever even though we all know better. That belief always makes us postpone important occasions, conversations, and all the “should haves” in the world because, well, they’re bound to happen anyway.

We know that this might be a bit assumptive but we can safely assume that this something similar to what Nahed El-Sebai meant through her many posts in the memory of Haytham Zaki, who she admitted to have kind of taken for granted despite him being one of her closest friends.

This impending guilt will not do anything, however, if it doesn’t push you to change, even if marginally.

Use these rare moments of self-awareness we get to actually try and remember that you cannot keep taking everyone in your life for granted because that’s not how life rolls.

Stop and dissect your life, analyze your friendships and your family ties. Is there someone who you shelf aside or forget because you just assume they’re always there? Is that person struggling or feeling neglected because of this?

You may not know the answer to the second question, but you sure do know the answer to the first. If you have anyone in your life who you suspect you might be forgetting, don’t wait until it’s too late.

Make time for them. If you can visit or go out, a simple phone call or text would do. Just show them you care because, sometimes, that’s all that matters.

Do what you don’t want to regret not doing later on.