What I am Digging
I just finished The Measure by Nikki Erlick and I can honestly say it stopped me in my tracks. Not in a dramatic, throw the book across the room way, but in a quiet, reflective, sit with yourself kind of way. The kind of book that keeps whispering to you long after you finish.
Without giving anything away, the premise alone is enough to make you pause. Everyone is given information about how much time they have left. That single piece of knowledge ripples through relationships, careers, choices, and the way people love and protect themselves. What struck me most was not the shock of knowing the future, but how quickly that knowing pulls people out of the present.
One of the biggest takeaways for me was how much time we lose by hyperfocusing on what is coming next. What if this happens? What if it doesn’t? What if I wait? What if I run out of time? The book keeps circling back to this truth in different ways. Obsessing over the future does not prepare us for life. It quietly steals us from it.
I think on some level we all know this. We understand it logically. But logic tends to crumble when anxiety shows up. When fear gets loud. When uncertainty feels unbearable. This book helps us recognize what we are doing with our time.
The book also challenges the idea that a long life is the same as a meaningful one. It highlights that impact, connection, and purpose are not measured in years. They are measured in presence, courage and how we show up for people while we are here.
If knowing the end would make you speak up sooner, love harder, rest more, take the trip, forgive, set boundaries, or stop postponing your joy, then what are you waiting for, do it now!
This book reminded me that a meaningful life is not built by predicting the future. It is built by fully being in the present.
