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Comment by angstrom | Hacker News Reader

This is something that's never far from my mind; the unknown sliver of time we have. I think about it when I wonder if I'm saving enough money for the long term vs spending it on some experience that will enrich my life in the near term. What's the point in saving for retirement if you could be gone in 20, 10, 5 years, or tomorrow? Everyone's idea of a rich and rewarding life is different, yet shares many commonalities: friends, family, work, recreation, and ultimately how those combine to define a rewarding life.

It's tempting to take my camera and do a similar, but different, collection of memories. If nothing else it's a nice web of memories to leave your loved ones and a nice side project that takes little time. Also, supposing you do live beyond 80 or 90 it would be all the more interesting.

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Thanks for saying this. I've been overly worried about money here lately. I'm 45 and "should" have died in my mid-thirties (and nearly did). I'm healthy now, as are my sons even though one of them has the same condition I have. You can't really put a price on that.

Peace.

"I think about it when I wonder if I'm saving enough money for the long term vs spending it on some experience that will enrich my life in the near term."

One thing I realized and aim to live by is "Never sacrifice experience over money." I kick myself and always regret the times I withdrew from an incredible experience due to financial reasons. Of course, it is easier said than done, as I am so broke right now but having the most exciting and incredible experience yet. I can't help it.

I say go for the enriching experiences :) You only live once.

www.blipfoto.com is a fantastic community for posting a daily photo. It's the whole idea of the site.

   This is something that's never far from my mind;

How? It's so easy to take things for granted. Do you really wake up and remind yourself that today could be your last?

Not everyday, but certainly in the course of a week I'll think about it. It's a good reminder to focus on what's important and it keeps me from whining about the insignificant daily trials that really amount to life's nuisances.

Interesting link, I created an account and will mess with it some more. I already pay for a flickr account. The site would have to be better for this task for me to really use it to the fullest. I already do some recreational photography with a Rebel EOS T2i, so this would be a side benefit of something I already do anyhow.

I have much to learn from you.

Agreed. That's why the whole FMyLife irritates me so much--there are bigger things than those trivialities to fret over. There are actually a few Steve Jobs' quotes I find greatly inspiring that touch upon that.

""If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." ...I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

Right?

fml is, really, just a humor site and a place to vent when some perfect storm of events comes over your life. No matter how hard you try to remember the temporary nature of life, most people will still get upset were some of those things to happen, and rightly so.

Like this one: Today, my package from Maxim Electronics came in the mail. My parents thought the package was from Maxim magazine. I am now grounded for months, and they threw away hundreds of dollars of electronics. FML

Show your parents the recept.

Haha, yeah I know what you mean. I just meant the instances where it became so mainstream that people around me were saying such things as "I chipped my nail. FML" which was very irritating.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1112407

I see you are an undergraduate so I presume you're young. I'm neither old nor young, so let me tell you something (I'm not being condescending, I want you to take this to heart) - you won't believe how fast it all goes past. Until you start to see it happening, you don't quite believe it. One day you're 25 and it's all in front of you. Suddenly you're 40 and you hope that you've got long enough left to do everything you wanted to before the credits roll.

The worst part is the acceleration. The older you get, the faster the days fly by.

Yeah, and once you have kids it seems to get even worse... on the plus side, not having to wonder "am I doing anything really meaningful with my life?" any more is a bonus. On the other hand, you're forced to face more mortality; but even this has its advantages (c.f. "meaningful" above).

And it isn't a gradual realization. It comes to you rather suddenly. AND THEN you have kids and it accelerates even faster.

When I'm hanging out with my father-in-law, who is in his mid-60s, often reflects on how his fast life flew. Seemed like he "was only 40 a couple years ago".

Mortality is sobering, ain't it?

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