Yesterday I missed an opportunity.

The South Esk River was thundering through Launceston’s Cataract Gorge – the first time this wet season that Trevallyn Dam had overflowed and the river run freely.

As I cross the bridge at the entrance to the Gorge I thought for a moment about parking the car and taking the tribe for a walk up the Gorge to see it in all its glory.  But time and tiredness got the better of me, so we continued home for bath and dinner, thinking “we’ll go see it tomorrow”.

Tomorrow came, and the river level has dropped.  The opportunity is gone.

It got me thinking, how often do we miss out on opportunities because we’re not quite game to act immediately? to respond when the moment is revealed?  To “seize the day” as that famed ’80’s film Dead Poets Society popularized.

In this case, I’ll be able to wait a few weeks, maybe a couple of months, or at worst the next big wet season to catch the Gorge in full flow…..but what if I’d missed a unique opportunity? A once-in-a-lifetime chance?

When did you last seize the day?  Make a snap decision? Take a chance that might not be presented again?