Only one life to live

By Takumi Torii
Time goes by very fast. It has been already eight months since I started going to BCC, and all of a sudden, it is time to think about ending this stay and returning to Japan now. Even the most, usual, everyday moments are very precious these days. The time when I am on the bus and looking at the scenery, when I am taking class and concentrating on listening to the lecture, when I am talking to my friends at school… these ordinary things have become precious to me. My daily list goes on almost like a diary … studying at the computer lab or library, talking with my host family while eating dinner, playing with my lovely puppy at home, watching CNN or some drama on television. These “daily life” moments might change into “nostalgic” ones pretty soon. We tend to think time is more precious when we become aware of its end. Just as I felt that way every time I graduated or at the end of every school year, I am also feeling that way now. I sometimes look back on the time I spent here so far and ask myself whether I could have spent it without any regrets. I have been able to learn many things in the United States and to have valuable experiences. However, I also think it would be better if I had known before how precious time is like I understand now. Staying here, in the U.S., to study means that even time outside of the classroom provides me with opportunities to learn. There is only one chance to live “today.” Yesterday’s moments are over, and tomorrow’s have yet to happen. We can never have the same days or moments as we had before. In addition, any moment will never come to us again. We only have one life