Someday is a dangerous and profound word. It’s a word that I find myself saying more often than I should. Someday leaves things open-ended. Someday is non-committal. Someday never arrives.
“Someday I’ll take that dream trip to Bali.”
“Someday, I’ll start that woodworking business I’ve always wanted.”
“Someday……..”
The problem with someday is that it doesn’t really exist. We use someday as a stop gap, an excuse for not actually taking action on that thing we want. We use someday because we’re afraid of taking the step, of accepting the risk. We know it never turns out as bad as we imagine it to be, but we use someday to postpone whatever pain we dream may be inflicted upon us.
I use someday a lot. Someday, I’ll buy a house. Someday, I’ll travel the world. Someday, I’ll climb Mt. Katahdin. But I know that someday will never come because someday isn’t real. I haven’t set clear, concrete goals to conquer someday.
Someday is an attitude, not a simple turn of phrase. Someday reflects all the fear and uncertainty in our lives, bringing to light all the failures we thought we had buried long ago.
Someday needs to be replaced with a new word. Something powerful, definite, solid. Someday needs to be a goal, not an excuse.
What word would you use to replace “Someday?”