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The Journey not the destination
The future holds our dreams. The past is our teacher. The present is a gift from God. That's why it's called the "present". This moment is all that we have.
We can let the past tether us in one place. Have you ever had an unsuccessful or terrible experience the first time that you tried something? Like biking or skiing or speaking in front of an audience? Did you let
that scraped knee or fall or fear keep you from trying again? Our past experiences can be obstacles to our movement in life if we let them. We can learn from them and let them go.
We can move forward, planning and dreaming for the future. We all have dreams and plans. We plan for the things that we want to have and for the places we want to go and the things that we want to do. We work hard so
that we will have the time and money and energy to realize our dreams. Do we get so wrapped up in the pursuit of our dreams and plans that we let the precious and fleeting joys of today slip by? Do we delay our
happiness until some future date by thinking, won't it be great "when I finish school" or "when I get a permanent job" or “when I get married" or "when the kids are grown" or
"when I get my own house" or "when I retire"? This moment we can choose to look around us and appreciate what is right here in front of us. This moment we can spend being totally absorbed in
learning. We can focus on doing our very best at our job. We can enjoy our life by pursuing our interests. We can watch our children as they grow and learn and laugh and play. We can be grateful for the warm and
comfortable place where we live. We can do fun things now, before we retire.
Life is a journey full of change. We want to move forward toward our dreams, learning, giving, loving each day. We can choose to enjoy the time we spend getting there. How will you choose to walk the path? Quickly,
or slowly enough to savor the richness and fun and surprises that spice our lives?
Try This:
Do something for you every hour of every day. Stop for a second and pray or give thanks for something you have or want; talk to God. Look up from your desk or the dirty dishes at your children playing happily. Look
out the window. What kind of bird is that? Who’s that walking their dog? Talk to the letter carrier for a few seconds. Read a page from a book of prayer. Take time for you now; every hour of every day.
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