Life's too short

"Life's too short!" I've always heard,
and I used to silently scoff, thinking,
'but it's the longest thing I'll ever do!"
Then, middle age hit
and suddenly I feel great urgency.
As my contemporaries mellow,
I find myself becoming more impatient.
I've been fortunate enough
to have the family and the career,
but I want to do EVERYTHING.
There's a long list of books to read,
things to write,
places to explore,
qualifications to earn,
fundraisers to work on
and much more besides.
I'm interested in languages—
learning them, reading them, writing;
music—
learning new instruments,
studying orchestration, composing
and putting off writing down
my clarinet concerto.
I love swimming, volunteering,
gymnastics, countryside, learning...
so much to do,
and not enough hours in the day.
Whatever I'm doing,
I'm absorbed in, 100%.
I don't just like things;
I love them completely
and want to immerse myself in all of them.
Does that make me a passionate person?
I think so.