Diem Carpe

What's your favorite catchphrase?

Can you think of any t-shirts from back in the day sporting phrases such as "Where's the Beef?", or "Frankie Say RELAX"?

I can think of one.

Let's do the running-man back to 1989.

Amidst the high school conformity of Z. Cavarrici pants, Zodiac shoes, and New Kids On The Block tunes, a brave soul decided to flash the Latin.

Black t-shirt, white font. Two words. Carpe Diem.

"What is this 'Carpe Diem'?" I asked.

The girl, dressed in black and doing her best to look disinterested in the guy wearing overalls and his game-day football jersey, drawls, "From The Dead Poets Society". And then to punctuate my ignorance, "You know, seize the day?"

She goes back to writing down her favorite Depeche Mode lyrics, and seizing some yawns while I try to wrestle with this foriegn phrase. When I end up watching the movie, it all comes clear. From then on, I hear the phrase 'Carpe Diem' thrown around like a beachball at a concert. What a great platitude I think. Better to sieze the day then let the day sieze you.

Cabbage-patch your way to twenty years later, and find me watching DPS again.

I still agree with the basic tenets. Live abundantly. Live extraordinary. Challenge convention.

However, it doesn't mention the fact that sometimes, the day just seizes you.

Waking up at 4:30 in the morning the other day to find my wife doubled over in pain and asking me to take her to the emergency room doesn't give time for day-siezing.

We are guaranteed to be caught off-guard. We are guaranteed to find our best efforts still lacking. We are guaranteed to have a limited perspective.

I don't think there's anything wrong with planning your course, as long as God is given the task of determining the steps.

Twenty years later, I have a new catchphrase.

Carpe Dei. Seize God. Hold on to him.

Wear Him like a t-shirt.