“Make us aware, O Lord, that life is a journey, not a destination, and happiness not ‘there’ but ‘here’, not ‘tomorrow’ but ‘today’.“
I like this statement …it was part of a larger prayer that was used to begin and end rehearsals in one of the bands that I’ve been playing with. It’s a long story. I’m not religious though, and I don’t regularly associate with any church, organized celebration or worship. During the prayer I listened of course, as the words represent ideas common to both religious and non-religious alike. They’re simply words after all …once they’re in your head they’re yours!
One of the last poems I wrote, ‘the world starts here…‘, was an attempt at expressing this same thing. This idea, that a moment should be given more importance than anything else, is certainly not new. We often get caught up in goals and destinations …and in our haste to accomplish/reach these markers, we inadvertently neglect that which is around us. In our quest for something, we often sacrifice something else. The problem however, is that we fail to appreciate what it was that we missed …what we sacrificed. It’s hard to see at times. Much like blinders on a horse, our sight is intentionally focused, and although we might convince ourselves our aim’s not exclusive, it’s rarely the case. Consider a simple example…
Let’s say that I’ve decided to take my adorable niece out to a park so we can hang for the afternoon. I make plans …what time to leave, what to bring, what to do while were there, how long to stay etc. Suddenly, something goes awry. Perhaps the car we’re driving in has a problem? Maybe the park is too busy? Maybe the food I planned to bring isn’t at all what she likes? There are a million things to go wrong, and when something doesn’t happen according to my plans (which are for the perfect day) then that perfect day is compromised. The ‘fun’ that I had planned never materializes …and consequently the day is ruined.
It needn’t be of course, not if I allowed for the possibility of something else to occur. Not if I accept the idea that things don’t necessarily have to go the way I would like them to go, and that I might still have a great time just being with my niece in the first place – taking on whatever it is that life throws our way. It needn’t be a single day either, and you can apply the same idea to long-term goals as well. In fact, it’s the long-term goals that can suffer most because they involve substantially more planning and commitment.
When long-term goals are thwarted it’s a big let down. It happens often. The thing to keep in mind though is that life always provides you with other opportunities – you just have to be open to them. They’re there, but you’re unaware because you’re locked in on whatever it is that your attention’s centered on. If you can take a step back from things, you’ll most likely discover other opportunities …and some that may even get you to your same goal – or others that get you to a different goal?! And this all leads to the idea that, in many cases, it’s not really the goal that’s important as much as the process itself. This is what we miss when we become things like obsessive, single-minded, over-zealous or inflexible. You simply have to be aware that other things are going on …and they’re not unimportant things. There’s a bigger picture kids …and we owe it to ourselves to consider it from time to time.
The neat thing about getting older I suppose, is the ability to recognize this. And not only just to recognize it, but to plan activities that actually consider these other opportunities. You realize that end goals are, and should be, sometimes more vague than precise. They should often function as guides and not as the ‘be-all-end-all’ of any exercise or ambition …encouraging the ‘here’, not ‘there’ – the ‘today’, not ‘tomorrow’. The other thing about getting older is that you honestly see that life really is a journey. And whether you feel it’s the only one, the start of another or perhaps even predestined …it’s how you approach it that ultimately affects what you get out of yours.
It unfortunately makes you aware of its brevity as well 
....and thanks to Crystal for the pic!
