--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My pulse whooshed in my ears so fast I…" description: "\"My pulse whooshed in my ears so fast I could barely hear myself speak. “I only have—” “Two days.” He squeezed my hand. “So what? You can spend them fee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/rachel-vincent-677_afterlife_my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-c_247451.png" --- # My pulse whooshed in my ears so fast I could barely hear… ![“My pulse whooshed in my ears so fast I could barely hear myself speak. “I only have—” “Two days.” He squeezed my hand. “So what? You can spend them feeling sorry for yourself, or you can let me help make them the best two days of your life, and my afterlife. So what’s it gonna be?” I stared into…” quote by Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/rachel-vincent-677_afterlife_my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-c_247451.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/rachel-vincent-677_afterlife_my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-c_247451.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/rachel-vincent-677_afterlife_my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-c_247451.png) > “My pulse whooshed in my ears so fast I could barely hear myself speak. “I only have—” “Two days.” He squeezed my hand. “So what? You can spend them feeling sorry for yourself, or you can let me help make them the best two days of your life, and my afterlife. So what’s it gonna be?” I stared into his eyes, like I’d never seen him before. And I hadn’t—not like this. But he’d obviously seen me, better than anyone else ever had. “Well?” Tod watched me, his hand still warm in mine. In answer, I leaned forward and kissed him again.” [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing mortality, the narrator is offered a choice between despair and embracing the remaining time with love and purpose, highlighting the power of connection in defining life's meaning. **In simple terms:** Choose love and purpose over sorrow when time is short. Key Takeaway Embrace love, make the most of limited time. Themes connection choice meaning mortality love Mood introspective urgent Type narrative motivational When to use this quote - grief counseling - relationship building - personal crisis - end‑of‑life planning Key Concepts existentialism human connection psychology Questions to Reflect On - What would you do with two days? - How does love change your perception of time? A Different Perspective The offer may feel manipulative if not genuine. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afterlife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afterlife/) [Feeling sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-sorry/) [Feeling sorry for yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-sorry-for-yourself/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) ## Related quotes > [I have always believed that when you're feeling sorry for yourself, the best thing to do is help someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/i-have-always-believed-that-when-you-re-feeling-sorry-for-yourself/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [“I don’t understand hospital chaplains that try to rob my patients of their anger. Sometimes anger is a key motivator that gets people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/i-don-t-understand-hospital-chaplains-that-try-to-rob-my-patients-of/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Nothing good ever comes from worrying or sitting there feeling sorry for yourself... Keep positive and keep pushing on and things will turn good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/nothing-good-ever-comes-from-worrying-or-sitting-there-feeling-sorry/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [“never ask why me but rather to ask why not me. It’s easy to get caught up in feeling sorry for yourself when bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-rae-jordan/never-ask-why-me-but-rather-to-ask-why-not-me-it-s-easy-to-get-caught/) [Kimberly Rae Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-rae-jordan/) > [“Because - admit it - there's something perversely appealing about sitting all alone, feeling sorry for yourself, especially when the scenery's stunning and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-hubbard/because-admit-it-there-s-something-perversely-appealing-about-sitting/) [Kirsten Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-hubbard/) > [You dont know what love is. Youve gotten everything you have always wanted and now youre feeling sorry for yourself because theres something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mhine29/you-dont-know-what-love-is-youve-gotten-everything-you-have-always/) Mhine29 > [“All depression has its roots in self-pity, and all self-pity is rooted in people taking themselves too seriously.” At the time Switters had disputed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/all-depression-has-its-roots-in-self-pity-and-all-self-pity-is-rooted/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Feeling sorry for yourself is a universal solvent of salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/feeling-sorry-for-yourself-is-a-universal-solvent-of-salvation/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/feeling-sorry-for-yourself-and-your-present-condition-is-not-only-a/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“It is not wrong to feel sorry for yourself. Just like it is not wrong to sit in a puddle of water while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/it-is-not-wrong-to-feel-sorry-for-yourself-just-like-it-is-not-wrong/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“In fact, it should matter to you more than it currently does. If you knew how small you are and how short a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-b-truant/in-fact-it-should-matter-to-you-more-than-it-currently-does-if-you/) [Johnny B. Truant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-b-truant/) > [You are what you believe. So stop feeling sorry for yourself, and get up and do something about your problems! Find friends who care,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blue-eyes/you-are-what-you-believe-so-stop-feeling-sorry-for-yourself-and-get/) Blue Eyes > [“grief’s drink recipe is two parts tribute to the person you loved and four parts feeling sorry for yourself because you lost them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/grief-s-drink-recipe-is-two-parts-tribute-to-the-person-you-loved-and/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [He did not know how long it took, but later he looked back on this time of crying in the corner of the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-paulsen/he-did-not-know-how-long-it-took-but-later-he-looked-back-on-this/) [Gary Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-paulsen/) ## More by Rachel Vincent > [So, did the costume come with a condom, or is that sold separately?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/so-did-the-costume-come-with-a-condom-or-is-that-sold-separately/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [You just say the word, and I'll make the rest of the world go away. I'll take you someplace safe, where no one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/you-just-say-the-word-and-i-ll-make-the-rest-of-the-world-go-away-i/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [So, what now? We’re friends?" Yeah. If friends could be in love, but not together. In sync, but out of touch. Willing to die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/so-what-now-we-re-friends-yeah-if-friends-could-be-in-love-but-not/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“You'll have to give me a minute here. Gravity's a real bitch this morning. Ian to Kori”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/you-ll-have-to-give-me-a-minute-here-gravity-s-a-real-bitch-this/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [Wow," Liv said, when I dropped the mallet back into the drawer. "That looked like fun. I call dibs on the next over-the-top destruction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/wow-liv-said-when-i-dropped-the-mallet-back-into-the-drawer-that/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“So...what are you delivering today -- pizza or death?" "Both, actually.  Pepperoni for you now, and a fatal aneurism to the woman in room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/so-what-are-you-delivering-today-pizza-or-death-both-actually/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“My hands wrapped around his waist, traveling up the broad expanse of his back, mooth and hard, and... "Give it a rest, already," Tod…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/my-hands-wrapped-around-his-waist-traveling-up-the-broad-expanse-of/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“I don't even like regular plants. Except for corsages and long-stemmed roses...and those only hurt when they don't show up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/i-don-t-even-like-regular-plants-except-for-corsages-and-long-stemmed/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“I want everyone to get plenty of rest tonight, because tomorrow, we make plans to bury the new council chair. And don't worry about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/i-want-everyone-to-get-plenty-of-rest-tonight-because-tomorrow-we/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“Take a nice, long look at your future, reaper. You'll soon be burning as fuel for hundreds of tiny fires." Tod laughed out loud.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/take-a-nice-long-look-at-your-future-reaper-you-ll-soon-be-burning-as/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“Whoever said it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved was full of crap.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/whoever-said-it-is-better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-never-to-have/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [Because the alternative sucks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/because-the-alternative-sucks/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [If she were going to die, I'd already be screaming. I'm a Banshee. That's what we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/if-she-were-going-to-die-i-d-already-be-screaming-i-m-a-banshee-that/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [You're not lost, Kaylee. You can't ever be lost, because I'll always know where you are. And if I'm not there with you, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/you-re-not-lost-kaylee-you-can-t-ever-be-lost-because-i-ll-always/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“Why would you do that? Why the hell would you ever think I wanted you to do that? I’m supposed to protect you.” Liv’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/why-would-you-do-that-why-the-hell-would-you-ever-think-i-wanted-you/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) [Explore all 415 Rachel Vincent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) ## More Afterlife quotes > [I don't believe in an afterlife. I don't believe in a single or multiple godhead. I respect people who do, but I don't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/i-don-t-believe-in-an-afterlife-i-don-t-believe-in-a-single-or/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“There was no attack on religion because people were generally indifferent to religion. They were neither hot nor cold. They were the tepid, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/there-was-no-attack-on-religion-because-people-were-generally/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [I guess on one hand I believe it doesn't matter if there is life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/i-guess-on-one-hand-i-believe-it-doesn-t-matter-if-there-is-life/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) > [“And what if there are only spiders there, or something of that sort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-what-if-there-are-only-spiders-there-or-something-of-that-sort/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“The obsession with the afterlife is born of a panic at not having memories of a before-life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-obsession-with-the-afterlife-is-born-of-a-panic-at-not-having/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [If critics and fanboys weren't suckers for simplistic nihilism and high-pressure marketing, Afterlife would be universally acclaimed as a visionary feat, superior to Inception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armond-white/if-critics-and-fanboys-weren-t-suckers-for-simplistic-nihilism-and/) [Armond White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armond-white/) > [“People, I thought, wanted security. They couldn’t bare the idea of death being a big black nothing, couldn’t bear the thought of their loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/people-i-thought-wanted-security-they-couldn-t-bare-the-idea-of-death/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Some people are so stiff and inhumane as the dogma's they believe in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/some-people-are-so-stiff-and-inhumane-as-the-dogma-s-they-believe-in/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Sometimes I think the resurrection of the body, unless much improved in construction, a mistake!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/sometimes-i-think-the-resurrection-of-the-body-unless-much-improved/) [Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/) > [It's my firm conclusion that human meaning comes from humans, not from a supernatural source. After we die, our hopes for an afterlife reside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/it-s-my-firm-conclusion-that-human-meaning-comes-from-humans-not-from/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [“One's past can't be erased, it can only be learned from, the child taught her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-balcomb/one-s-past-can-t-be-erased-it-can-only-be-learned-from-the-child/) [H. L. Balcomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-balcomb/) > [It was like I’d stepped out into an afterlife. Only there were no angels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-christopher/it-was-like-i-d-stepped-out-into-an-afterlife-only-there-were-no/) [Lucy Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-christopher/) > [“death is predestined for all mortals. Souls live forever, but the body does not. Unless you are immortal, both the soul and body are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yelle-hughes/death-is-predestined-for-all-mortals-souls-live-forever-but-the-body/) [Yelle Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yelle-hughes/) [Browse all 844 Afterlife quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afterlife/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My pulse whooshed in my ears so fast I could barely hear myself speak. “I only have—” “Two days.” He squeezed my hand. “So what? You can spend them feeling sorry for yourself, or you can let me help make them the best two days of your life, and my afterlife. So what’s it gonna be?” I stared into his eyes, like I’d never seen him before. And I hadn’t—not like this. But he’d obviously seen me, better than anyone else ever had. “Well?” Tod watched me, his hand still warm in mine. In answer, I leaned forward and kissed him again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rachel Vincent" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-could-barely-hear-myself-speak/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afterlife" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-could-barely-hear-myself-speak/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/rachel-vincent-677_afterlife_my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-c_247451.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/rachel-vincent-677_afterlife_my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-c_247451.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/rachel-vincent-677_afterlife_my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-c_247451.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My pulse whooshed in my ears so fast I could barely hear myself speak. “I only have—” “Two days.” He…” — Rachel Vincent", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rachel Vincent", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My pulse whooshed in my ears...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-could-barely-hear-myself-speak/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-could-barely-hear-myself-speak/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```