Goldfish

Stop, just stop.

Stop whatever you are thinking about other than this text and stop whatever you may be doing on the side.

I want you to recall something, your favourite memory or just some time in your past that you treasured.

Whatever it is, I want you to think about it, now I want to ask you, why?

Why what? Why, why why of course!

No no, not why you recalled it, why were you able to recall it? What’s so important about it to you? What’s so significant about it?

To you the answer to that would be clear, but I still want you to tell yourself what it is that makes that memory so significant.

Goldfish!

What?

Goldfish. Poor little creatures, they can’t even remember what they did a minute ago, everything just moves so fast for them, unlike you. You can probably remember plenty of things…

What does this have to do with you recalling a memory you ask?

Plenty of things, but let’s not linger on that.

Now you can put that aside, and I want you to try to remember everything you’ve done in the past week.

What have you done that is memorable?

Not noticeable, but truly memorable, something that you will carry with you until the day that you leave this world.

Nothing?

I expected so.

Can you remember what you did two weeks ago?

A month ago?

Maybe a year?

Maybe you remember something, but I know you don’t remember everything, you only remember what you think is important, don’t you?

Well I have one thing to ask you, why? Why is every insignificant little thing that you do every day not important enough for you to remember for the rest of your life?

Because they’re insignificant of course!

But what if they weren’t, what if they were all just as worth remembering as anything else? You probably don’t take a second thought to getting up and brushing your teeth every morning, or closing the door when you leave a room, or when you find a penny you forgot you left in your pocket, but maybe you should.

Remember just a bit ago when I mentioned goldfish? I hope you do, because goldfish are worth remembering. A goldfish cannot remember what it did a minute ago, let alone a few years ago, unlike how you probably can.

But then again, how long can a goldfish even live for?

How long can you live for?

Everything rushes by so fast for the little bubbly bundle of joy that all it can hope to remember is how to breathe and eat, it can’t even blink! And what are you doing?

Well, you’re reading this of course, and for that I thank you, for taking the time to pay attention to what I have to say. But what am I saying?

I say, what I am trying to say, as in what I want to say, I would say, is simple.

I want you to slow down.

I want you to look back on what you did the past few days, and I want you to stop rushing.

Stop trying to get through everything as soon as possible, stop trying to cram everything into one day, stop making yourself stress about it, stop trying to do everything just before the deadline comes up.

In the end, what will it all mean to you?

Every moment you live is worth remembering, and every little thing you do is worth remembering, take the time to enjoy the moment.

Then again, more than likely, you won’t remember what you’ve just read in a few years’ time.

So if you remember anything from what I’ve told you, I hope that you remember the goldfish of the world.