You’ll Never Have More Time Than You Do Now

I’m all for patience, but there’s a time and place for everything—this virtue included.

When she passed away at 42 years old, Mandy Jenkins had visited 37 countries and all 50 states. She had bar and sightseeing recommendations for every place I ever asked her about and always shared them generously. If anyone I’ve ever known seemed invincible, it was her. She could drink Irishmen under the table and be up for a long run the next morning.

About four years after being diagnosed with breast cancer, Mandy died of leptomeningeal disease on February 26, 2023. She was surrounded by friends and family in Zanesville, Ohio, her hometown.

Mandy’s passing is a reminder that none of us will ever have more time left on this earth than we do today. There’s a risk in waiting too long to book that bucket list trip or to do that thing you’ve always wanted to do. So don’t.

Time is of the essence. That’s something I’ve been reminded of too many times in recent years as friends and associates I’d hoped to grow old with have passed far too soon.

I’m grateful Mandy got to see so much of the world, experience so many different cultures and have as much fun as she did. Mandy made it to the pyramids in Giza, the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, the Sydney Opera House and countless national parks. She hiked the Himalayas, biked the five boroughs, took her little brother on countless road trips and was a regular at the Night of 1000 Stevies.

She built a journalism career that took her to Milwaukee, Washington, D.C., New York City, Northern California and beyond. She won a prestigious fellowship at Stanford and is a former president of the Online News Association. She tagged along on her husband’s work trips—including to two Olympic Games. She made the most of her own work trips, took great vacations and moved about the planet faster than me.

Mandy saw and experienced as much of the world as she could, and she inspired and encouraged many others—including myself—to do the same.

She once encouraged me to set out on a solo trip around Ireland relying only on busses and trains. She helped me plan fun into a weeklong work trip to Hong Kong, putting unforgettable experiences like a symphony of lights cruise on the Star Ferry and a gorgeous gondola ride on Lantau Island on my radar. And, she’s the reason another friend and I were able to spend a perfect long weekend in Belfast. A single text to Mandy, and I had the perfect Belfast itinerary in my phone.

For Mandy, jet lag didn’t exist. She set an example. She lived as voraciously as any person could.

Mandy made so many friends and changed so many of our lives for the better. You could feel it at her celebration of life in Ohio. While there was sadness in losing her, there was joy in hearing about how she lived and how many lives she changed, including mine.

She lived as if time is of the essence as it is for each of us. I’ll do my best to make her proud and make the most of my time on earth. And I’ll toast her whenever and wherever I can.

This post is dedicated to Mandy Jenkins, a friend, mentor, former boss and avid traveler who inspired me to travel, was one of the first subscribers to the Travel with Meena newsletter and was one of its most loyal readers.

Meena Thiruvengadam

Meena Thiruvengadam is a traveler who explores the world with the curiosity of a journalist. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Travel with Meena. She's worked for Bloomberg, Business Insider, and Yahoo, and continues to contribute to publications including Conde Nast Traveler, Travel+Leisure, Fodor's Travel, The Washington Post and more.

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