Think about this: Ten years from now, you will view today as the good old days.
I have this problem of being perpetually discontent in the present. I find myself spending part of my time missing the past and the other part wishing for the future.
Do you ever fall into that trap?
On one hand, I look back fondly on memories from the past. It’s fun to reminisce, telling stories from my time in school or recollecting the early part of my career. In many ways, I do miss those good old days.
On the other hand, I look forward to that elusive moment when life is going to be “better.” When my child is out of diapers, life will be a lot easier. In a few more years, we’ll have that student loan paid off and have more financial flexibility. If I can just reach this benchmark, I will have achieved what I want with my career.
The problem with spending too much time focused on the past or yearning for the future is that you overlook the mundane moments that one day you’ll wish you had back.
Trace Adkins has a song called “You’re Gonna Miss This.” It paints a picture of a young mom at home with a busted water heater. Her dog is barking. One kid is crying. The other is screaming. So she apologizes to the plumber for all of the noise. He explains that he doesn’t mind and responds with this:
You’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna want this back
You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you’re gonna miss this
This song tries to remind us that one day in the future we’ll look back and miss today.
It’s not all bad to recall fond memories of the past or to look forward to the future, but I don’t want to miss the fact that today will eventually be one of the good old days. I have to remind myself that far too soon I’ll be past the days of sleepless nights, endless diapers, and sippy cups, where my son is growing up before my eyes. I’ll be long past the early days of my marriage where it’s joy-filled work to get to know my wife. I’ll even miss the long days in my career where I’m starting to see small goals realized and striving toward others on the horizon.
I need the reminder to wake up and fully enjoy my present circumstances.
Regardless of where you find yourself on your journey, no matter your age or stage of life, don’t rush through today. Take a moment to take stock, to enjoy the moment, and to remember that down the road, today might be one of the good old days.
