Unlived

Can You Miss a Life You Didn’t Live?

There are lives I never lived. Roads I didn’t take. Dresses I didn’t wear. Lovers I didn’t kiss. But as I sit here—matcha latte in hand, sunlight slipping through the blinds—I wonder if I ever really missed them… or if I was simply meant to savor this one.

Sight

The sun paints your floorboards gold,
though you never chased sunsets in Santorini.
A favorite book lies open beside you,
and someone smiles at you like it’s enough.

Smell

Not Chanel No. 5,
but rain on pavement, bread in the oven,
a sweater still carrying the scent of home.
What perfume compares to that?

Taste

Maybe not a sommelier’s finest,
but coffee in hand as the world stays still.
Pie from the store, cold,
but eaten barefoot on the porch, laughing.

Sound

Not the romantic streets of Paris,
but your sister’s voice on the phone.
The rustle of pages turning.
The hum of your life being lived, right now.

Touch

No silk gowns, no velvet ropes.
Just the softness of a well-worn shirt,
a hug that fits perfectly,
your own skin finally feeling like home.

Living

Not a mansion on a hill,
but the warmth of a space that knows you.
A chair molded to your shape,
a view that changes with the seasons.

Marriage

Not a whirlwind affair in Rome,
but steady hands, shared jokes,
grocery lists and ordinary days
that feel like prayers answered.

Children

Or no children—
but creativity birthed in quiet corners.
Time shaped into stories,
into art, into peace.

Aging

Not the glitter of every party missed,
but the grace of knowing yourself deeply.
Silver hair brushed back
like the crown it is.

So Yes

You didn’t live every life.
But you’re living this one.
And that…
that is everything.