If I Only Had One Day to Live

1. I'm constantly on the go, taking my child to and from classes. Sometimes it's martial arts class, swimming class, literacy class... Sometimes, exhausted by the endless cycle, and seeing that my child still hasn't reached my expectations, I carry a heavy, disheartened feeling all the way home. My child can't understand me enough to share my feelings.

Once, while in that state of mind, I saw two large motorcycles racing down the street, honking loudly. The distance between my car and the motorcycle that had just sped past was probably only a few millimeters. And of course, my heart pounded, as if life and death were separated by only a few seconds, a few millimeters. Only when those two motorcycles were far away did I calm down and think, if I were unlucky enough to die in such a chaotic state of mind, could I find peace? Could I peacefully close my eyes and step into another world (if that world even exists?). And I suddenly remembered the small, pretty flower field in Vinh City where I used to stroll every afternoon with my best friend. The flower field was located within the ancient citadel, originally formed from the moat surrounding the citadel. There were mulberry bushes, raspberry bushes, and rows of chrysanthemums, carnations, and forget-me-nots basking in the sun and wind. If, in any sad or even dire situation, like being on the brink of life and death, I think of the flower fields of my childhood, I believe I will feel much, much lighter.

And there are so many other beautiful things beyond that flower field. Like every afternoon, after navigating through dozens of kilometers of traffic jams, dust, and high tides, my little daughter still greets me, eagerly pursing her lips to kiss the window before I even open the door. She doesn't care if the kiss reaches me or not; just seeing me smile fills her face with happiness. Like simply playing some soothing, pleasant music, coaxing my son to massage my back and shoulders, and he'll beam with joy… Life is full of worries, but true happiness is always there, when the heart knows how to find it. If I only had one day to live, it wouldn't be difficult to choose the love that fills that day.

1. My friend told me about a time when she was backpacking in the mountains and witnessed a fatal accident. Even after she passed by, the air was still thick with incense smoke, and a few people were attending to the deceased. For some reason, the accident made her feel anxious, even though she had traveled a considerable distance. She wanted to call her mother, as she always talked to her whenever she felt worried. Her phone malfunctioned and wouldn't start. All around her were mountains and ravines; not a soul was in sight. Occasionally, a container truck would whiz by. She thought foolishly, if she had been in an accident on the road (many backpackers have), her biggest regret would be having argued with her mother before the trip. They wouldn't have had a chance to reconcile.

You and your mother constantly argue. You rarely have a long conversation. Sometimes, a meal might start happily, then mid-meal you'll hear each other arguing, and by the end, you'll each go to your room and close the door. Your mother hasn't found happiness in her marriage. She tries to manipulate you, constantly whispering in your ear, "Your father is like this, like that." Sometimes you feel sorry for your mother, and sometimes you're annoyed. At your most frustrated moments, you say, "Dad is like that because of you; nobody can stand it because you nag too much..."

"Exactly yesterday," you said. Then you left, ignoring your mother's teary eyes.

When faced with death, you think, "Oh my God, how terrible I am, what have I done to my mother's tear-filled eyes?"

After that trip, your mother stopped calling you her unruly daughter. You spent more time eating meals with her. You proactively invited her to watch movies and listen to music. And you said that the greatest happiness in your life was having your mother to repay her kindness. If you only had one day left to live, you would spend that entire day with your mother.

2. My friend was on a flight affected by a storm. The plane circled and shook violently for an hour before finally landing at a Thai airport, waiting for the storm to pass before returning to Saigon. Someone sitting near my friend said that if they couldn't land within the next 5 minutes, the plane would certainly have suffered a serious accident because… it had run out of fuel.

On the plane, you hear prayers, and even sighs.

My friend is not religious. At that time, she only prayed to God to let her go home, see her children one last time, even though the two kids were surely asleep by then, and perhaps even mumbled and called out for their mother in their sleep, as they had done many nights.

At that moment, you think about your breakup, which has been dragging on for a year and is still not over.
After that flight, my friend agreed to separate, taking custody of the children (her ex-husband also wanted that), becoming the most positive single mother on Earth I know. She took baking and cooking classes, and in her spare time after her job at the newspaper, she made cakes, sticky rice, and other delicious dishes to sell online. She multitasked to avoid negative thoughts and trivial matters, while also having the financial means to take her children to places they both love. Her children have visited many places countless times. That's okay; what matters is that both mother and children find happiness there.

"If I Had One Day to Live…" is a song I absolutely love, I've listened to it hundreds of times.

"If I only had one day left to live, someone would take me back to my hometown."

Let me visit my ancestral village, my roots. Let me dream, dream of the voices of my mother and father.

If I only had one day left to live, please give me a prayer.

The one I love has a gentle, warm smile. May my child walk through life peacefully...

If we only had one day left to live, how would we repay life's kindness?

How can I ever repay so many people? They lifted me up, guiding me through life's uncertainties.

If we only had one day left to live, how could we atone for all our mistakes?

How can we find peace of mind? Let us lay our hands down as dawn breaks...

And there are so many other beautiful and meaningful things in life that you might never realize, even in your most peaceful moments: that simply being alive is priceless and miraculous. You will realize this when you experience facing death, even though no one can know when they will have "one more day to live," or even just a few minutes left to live.

If there were only one day left to live. Live – with the most positive mindset. I still believe that thinking about that means not fearing the greatest loss in life. Nor should we dwell on regrets about things we haven't accomplished. Because ultimately, everyone must reach the end of the road, which is death. And that's when we truly cherish this life.