Here is a story about the weight of those two words and the power of "now." The Jar of "Later"
He didn't wait to build a house; he fixed the broken porch step. He didn't wait to write a book; he wrote a letter to an old friend. He realized that "mais tarde" is a place where dreams go to grow old and tired, but "agora" (now) is where they live. Mais tarde
Elias was a man of many notebooks. One for the house he’d build "mais tarde," one for the stories he’d write "mais tarde," and one for the trips he’d take when the time was right. To Elias, "later" wasn't a delay; it was a vast, shimmering horizon where all his best versions lived. Here is a story about the weight of
Elias looked at the empty jar. "Ma'am, this is just glass. It’s worth nothing." Elias was a man of many notebooks
She tapped the glass. "He passed away yesterday. Now the jar is full of things that never happened. I’m selling it so someone might see how heavy an empty jar can be."
The phrase (Portuguese for "Later") often serves as a trap for our goals, a promise for our future selves, or a reminder that life doesn't wait.