Blog by: Lata Advani Viseu

“Don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone
Don’t know what it is I did so wrong
Now I know what I got
Just this song
And it ain’t easy to get back
Takes so long”
Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone) – Cinderella

We move through our days almost on autopilot, doing the same things, thinking the same thoughts, assuming life will continue exactly as it has. It’s only when life hands us a twist of fate that we’re forced to stop and face a new reality.

Someone who seems perfectly healthy suddenly receives a life‑altering diagnosis, and for a moment you’re reminded that life is fragile. When the person is yourself or someone you love, something inside you changes. You stop for a moment and see your life more clearly.

People come and go, and if we knew how long we had with each person, we would live differently, living with more purpose and courage, letting go of the things that aren’t important.

We get this one life, and once it’s over, who knows what comes next? I remember my childhood, waking up excited to see my friends, thinking those days would last forever. But one wrong turn, one unexpected choice, and you find yourself living a life completely different from the people you grew up with.

In your twenties, you chase your career, thrilled to land your first job, imagining the life you’ll build. Then reality sets in, forty or fifty years of work ahead. The excitement fades, routine sets in, and you start looking for the next thing, the next escape, the next version of happiness.

You dream of quitting, travelling, living freely, but freedom costs money, so you accept your fate and hope you can travel once or twice a year. Then your thirties arrive, and you wonder where time has gone. You start thinking about finding someone to share your life with, maybe building a family. You worry, you hope, you search.

Eventually you learn there is no such thing as a dream partner. Even when you think you’ve found one and life shows you what’s real, every relationship has its storms. Many people give up too quickly. But if both choose to grow, if both choose to stay when it’s hard, there’s a chance to build something that lasts. Most don’t put in the work.

You think someone else will make you happier, but often you end up missing the life you once had. It’s only when something ends that you truly see what it meant. Only when they’re gone do you understand what you lost.

Life keeps moving, and you settle into your days. Then one day, many years later, you look back and realize that all those moments you wished away, all those ordinary days, were the very days you now yearn for. If you’re lucky enough to choose a career you love, your life will feel full. But even then, time slips quietly through your fingers.

Every person you meet is temporary. You don’t know how long you have with them. Water your relationships with love, but don’t cling too tightly, everything changes, everything shifts.

Leave this life having touched people through your kindness, your presence, your understanding. That’s what remains. Not the money. Not the possessions. Just the imprint of your heart.

You won’t know what you got till it’s gone, so choose wisely.

Quotes

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

“The trouble is, you think you have time.” – Jack Kornfield

“We don’t remember days, we remember moments.” – Cesare Pavese

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss

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