The Gallery - Tomorrow

Here is my contribution to the Gallery this week with its theme of "Tomorrow".

I considered various possibilities for quite a challenging theme. These included showing all the school uniforms and bookbags laid out for morning. That looks like it will represent my tomorrows for many years to come.

I also was going to show a picture of a beach but I talked about that in my Magpie Monday post this week.

Perhaps a picture of the one remaining puppy from my litter of Labradors who I hope will find a new home tomorrow.

In the end, I recalled that tomorrow is the day that an iceberg hit the Titanic in 1912. So here is my Gallery photo to represent that event.

My thoughts on it fall into two categories. Firstly, I looked at the statistics about those who lived and those who died in the Titanic disaster.

Firstly, it is interesting to note how the class system meant far more first class passengers survived that second or third class passengers. Ninety nine years later and with harsh cuts hitting the poorest hardest, I wonder how much has really changed?
More women and children survived than men because the men insisted on them going in the lifeboats first. Would that happen today? Should it if we really want equality? Apparently, proportionately more British died than other nationalities. Conjecture suggests this is because the British formed orderly queues whilst everyone else rushed to escape. Would we still do that today?

Secondly, I reflect on what icebergs might hit in our lives tomorrow. Life is wonderful but there is always a iceberg waiting to churn things up a bit when we least expect it. Let's consider just of a few of my icebergs for a moment.

Rejection by birth mother

Bullying at school and in the workplace

Failing important examinations

Losing a friend to suicide

Friends moving on and leaving me behind

Acquiring step-children

Getting pregnant unexpectedly

Experiencing depression

Being fired

Losing my mum

Of course, icebergs change us and I hope make us more understanding and tolerant of others. Some icebergs will result in sadness for a lifetime and some we learn to live with and even celebrate in time.

I suppose what I am trying to say is that we do not know what tomorrow will bring or even if we will live to see it. The only guarantee in life as my Dad tells me is death. On some as yet unknown tomorrow, you and I will die.

So what is important then? All that matters really is making memories that will survive long after you are gone. Those memories will comfort the loved ones you leave behind and make you a very important person indeed. It won't be your income level, job title or status that people remember. It will be your essence, the core of who you are.

So starting today, in case tomorrow never comes, be a one-off and make some brilliant memories. The housework can wait!

Check out other entries to the Gallery.