In the moment, it seemed like a big deal. In the moment, you just needed them to understand your concerns. In the moment, the phone was ringing. In the moment, you were overwhelmed. In the moment, you were worried something might happen. In the moment, you had other plans.

But as the song lyrics go, it’ll come to me later / like a space invader.

And you won’t be able to escape the haunting conclusion: That it didn’t matter. That you’d have plenty of time to get your piece in. That you could call back. That the stakes weren’t nearly so high. That you regret not jumping in the pool with your kids, even though it’d have meant being late for work. That all you should have said was, “I love you.”

We know this. We know this. We know this. But in the moment we forget it. In the moment, this bigger perspective fails us. In the moment, we get caught up.

It comes to us later like a space invader, but it doesn’t have to. It doesn’t have to.