The Now

Chapter 300

"Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now." ~ Denis Waitley

Oh I am trying Denis, I am trying! This is the hardest advice to follow. My nearly 80 year old father lives firmly in the past. I have generally lived firmly in the future, and we both need to live in the Now. But habits die hard and nostalgia for the past, or anticipation for the future can drive all the peace and pleasure out of the Now. 

I was so future-focused for so long that I barely experienced the lives of my children or any of the joys or pains associated with that. Same is true of my jobs, the people I met and got to share my life with along the way. As soon as the future became the Now, I was further along once again. No lazing around mentally here, more like a frenetic chase to get somewhere other. So sad, because as the man said, “the only moment in time over which you have any control is now.” I would go a bit further and say that is is the only moment in time where you can choose your satisfaction and action. The future is never that.

My dad is so intensely past focused, there is no future, heck there barely is a Now. In fact in the last four years, I have heard more details of that past than I ever have before. It was kinda fascinating at first, but after hearing each of those snapshots several thousand times, it has lost all its luster. And I mean ALL its luster. The only thing more boring than not being able to enjoy the Now because of your anticipation for the future, is not learning anything from the past and moving on.