Word-Of-the-Week #827: Carpe Diem
June 11, 2020 by Susan Clarke
Carpe diem – seize the day!
Are you making the most of each day? Have you ever been guilty of taking your job or the people in your life for granted? Are you lucky to have a true love in your life during this crazy time?
I went to the Phrase Finder website and found this. “Carpe” translates literally as “pluck”, with particular reference to the picking of fruit, so a more accurate rendition is “enjoy the day, pluck the day when it is ripe.” The extended version of the phrase “carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero” translates as “Pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.”
The meaning is similar to that of many proverbs that we continue to use in English as a warning to make the most of the time we have, with the implication that our time on Earth is short.
Many years back I had a friend who asked, “Susan, if you had six months to live would you live your life differently?” To which I responded, “Yes.” And then she said, “What makes you think you have six months to live?” Well, I thought that was pretty eerie and I have never forgotten it. As I have gotten older, I realize how short life really is.
And now living with the coronavirus for the last three months has made me very aware of how truly fragile life can be. I am sharing a couple of quotes that spoke to me.
- “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
- “Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” – Dale Carnegie
- “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West
This week’s focus is carpe diem. When was the last time you “seized the day” and felt like you were living life to the fullest? Has the pandemic caused you to make changes so you are “making the most of each day?” Are you cherishing the people in your life who most deserve it?
I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.