Carpe Diem

Ronald sat in his cubical staring at a banner 8 feet long by 3 feet tall with the words SIEZE THE DAY printed in bold letters. He had stared at this sign for five months while making countless phone calls, trying to sell complete strangers’ extended warranty programs for their cars. After each call, he would write: No answer, Not interested, and occasionally, Sold! Sold was rare and prompted a mini-celebration.

Today started like all the others, with Ronald staring at the banner. The phrase, translated from the Latin “Carpe diem,” was first penned by Horace over 2,000 years ago. Unfortunately, Horace never included instructions on how to seize the day. Some advice was as good as no advice at all.

Today will be different, thought Ronald. I spent four years as an undergrad plus another year getting my Master’s. I can do better than this.

This time he would finish his call list, take it to the supervisor, repeat the lyrics from an old country classic, “Take this Job and Shove it”, and walk out a free man. He would seize the day and find a fresh path to travel. Ronald called the last number on his list and rose from his desk, ready to venture toward the unknown.

Before he could take the first step on his thousand-mile journey, his cell phone rang.

“Hello, this is Ronald.”

“Sir, I’m calling about your student loan. When can we expect the next payment?”

“I get paid this Thursday. I’ll have it in the mail on Friday.”

“Thank you, Ronald. I’ll make a note on your account. Have a blessed day.”

Ronald replaced the phone in his pocket, picked up the completed list, and walked to the supervisor’s desk. He accepted a new list and returned to his cubical; once again, the day had seized Ronald.