What If There's No Tomorrow?

Two young women are walking down the street in the city center. One of them stops in front of a shop display, staring in pure fascination at one of the mannequins. Her eyes take in the view of a beautiful dress in a charming shade of orange.

“Look how pretty it is,” she breathes out. There’s admiration in her voice and a dreamy little smile on her lips. The other girl smiles back at her:

“Indeed. Let’s go and try it on. When somethin' grabs your eye like that, it practically screams your name.”

The first one’s excitement dims at once. She lowers her gaze to the uneven paving stones under her feet and shakes her head slightly.

“No. It’ll look ugly on me. I’ll lose weight first and then buy beautiful dresses. You know, so that both the figure and the dress are eye-catching,” she chuckles, then continues jokingly, “Besides, once I slim down, it’ll be less ‘fashion’ and more ‘tent.’ No way I’m turning tailor for that.”

The point, of course, is ironclad.

“Okay,” her friend replies uncertainly. “So, what’s your plan? Proper diet, sports?”

“Yeah, starting on Monday,” she nods enthusiastically on a Wednesday, a twinkle in her eyes.

The dress is left behind to please the eyes of passersby on the dainty figure of a mannequin.

The following week, on Tuesday, she waves it off again.

And so, Monday after Monday, she stays on a steady diet of maybes and tomorrows, washed down with promises for breakfast.

Often, people don’t even realize how destructive ‘Postponed Life Syndrome’ (PLS) can be, and how much joy it takes away from their lives.

“I’ll lose weight and buy myself that dress” — but you want it now, don’t you?
“I’ll take this course when I have more time” — you dream of finishing it, would two hours a week really disrupt your schedule?
“I’ll send my CV to my dream job, but not right now – I’m not good enough yet” — will you ever feel like you are?
“I’ll start a business when the economy is more stable” — and when exactly will that be? When pigs fly?

Life keeps moving, while people keep hitting ‘snooze’ on their happiness. Chasing false perfection (and procrastinating most of the time), not realizing that nothing in this life is ever ‘sufficient’ or ‘perfect.’

After all, people can never predict what will happen – even tomorrow.

What if this dress never comes back on sale?
What if, in a week, another pandemic like COVID-19 locks us all in brick cages again?
What if the world ends?
What if we all die tomorrow?

People tend to think they are immortal. But in reality, life’s too short for ‘someday.’ It’s always hard to take the first step, but you have to make it.

Three years ago, I started my journey of losing weight and working out. It was difficult.

Now, I can’t imagine my existence without it. The gym has given me confidence, strength, peace of mind, and has brought a lot of cool and amazing people into my life.

Two years ago, I applied for a job that helped me understand who I am, what actual skills I possess, and gave me the opportunity to visit five different countries in just one year – several times already. And it brought even more amazing people into my life, people who support me.

Yesterday, I started learning a new language with an outstanding tutor.

No endless ‘tomorrows.’

Enjoy yourself. Take risks. Live like there’s no ‘tomorrow.’

P.S. By the way, I never bought that dress. Will you buy yours in time? Or are you waiting for next ‘Monday’?

Oleksandra Drohobetska