“Right now, I feel like I could embrace and love every person I’ve ever met. It wasn’t until I faced death and began saying goodbye to those I hold dear that I finally realized: life is a gift and a joy. Every moment can be a moment of happiness.”
At the age of 28, a man convicted of anti-government activity stood on the verge of execution. He was granted five final minutes to reflect on his life. Facing death, the biting winter wind no longer felt cold, and the chill of the ground beneath his bare feet felt precious—beautiful, even. Regret overwhelmed him: Why hadn’t I realized this sooner? But just then, a command came through: the execution was halted. His sentence was commuted to exile instead, and he narrowly escaped death.
That man was Fyodor Dostoevsky, the great Russian novelist known for masterpieces such as Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and The Brothers Karamazov. The quote above is from a letter he wrote to his brother on the day he returned from the edge of death. From that day forward, Dostoevsky stopped complaining about pain or hardship. He became more forgiving of others’ flaws and developed a habit of being thankful for even the smallest things.
Often, we only recognize the value of something just before we lose it—or after it’s already gone. Life is no exception. After all, today is “the tomorrow that someone who died yesterday so desperately longed for.” That’s why each day deserves to be lived with gratitude and care.