Mais Tarde -

Elias looked at the empty jar. "Ma'am, this is just glass. It’s worth nothing."

Procrastination is a messenger - Carol Milters

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. Mais tarde

Clara smiled sadly. "This is a Jar of Laters. My husband filled it for forty years. Every time he wanted to tell me he loved me but was too busy, he’d whisper it into the jar to save for 'mais tarde.' Every time he wanted to see the ocean or learn the piano, he’d put a note in here for 'later.'"

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." Elias looked at the empty jar

The most "useful" thing about "later" is realizing it isn't guaranteed. Procrastination is often a coping mechanism for anxiety , but as Elias learned, the weight of unfulfilled intentions can become heavier than the work itself.

Here is a story about the weight of those two words and the power of "now." The Jar of "Later" Clara smiled sadly

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.