The good ol' days

I thought I’d go a little off topic this week.

Our lives are filled.

Filled with work, family, commit- ments of one sort or another.

Everyone carries stress though we each bear varying loads. The recession has hit everyone in the world though I’m sure you could make of list of all the things you were equally stressed about ten years ago.

I’ve reached an age now where I easily tell stories about moments occurring 20 years or more ago. What I like most about distant memories is how much more humorous those times were than when I was in the thick of it. Thinking back, if I knew how funny those times were to become, perhaps I would have enjoyed them even more and worried even less.

Grandparents talk about the good old days. Their whole life is but a great memory of precious and adventurous moments. Our lives we are living today are equally precious and will be reflected on as ‘good’. Today, this week, this month, and this year will be regarded as special.. eventually.

Is today a good day for you?

If you were to live more for this moment and to be with your friends and family in this moment, to be there for your coworkers in this moment without worry about tomorrow, how would it change your behavior?

I’ve been thinking about this tonight in preparation of writing this post. It was 9:30pm and I was catching up on some work when my partner asked if I wanted to join him to get a milkshake.

Here was my list for reasons not to go that ran through my head:

• I’d get some personal time alone if he went alone

• It was late and I wanted to finish my work

• I didn’t want a milkshake

Reasons for going:

• Car trips no matter their duration always offer great conversation

• It’s always an adventure when we go anywhere

• I should be listening to my own reflection and enjoying the here and now

I went.

Sure enough, I heard some good stories in the car I may never have heard, I ended up getting a tasty banana milkshake, and the trip also turned into an errand to get more brine water to keep the shrimp bait alive and happy from the park where we often put in our boat for fishing.

Quiet, dark, and deserted with a partial bright moon shining through clouds illuminating the empty boats moored there; we walked through the manicured park to the water’s edge where the water lapped quietly on the shore.

Carly Simon sings a song considering living for the future or in the moment. It’s one of my favorites still. Listen here.