These are days you'll remember. Never before and never since, I promise, will the whole world be warm as this. And as you feel it,you'll know it's true that you are blessed and lucky. It's true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you.These are days you'll remember. When May is rushing over you with desire to be part of the miracles you see in every hour. You'll know it's true that you are blessed and lucky. It's true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you.These are days. These are the days you might fill with laughter until you break.These days you might feel a shaft of light make its way across your face .And when you do you'll know how it was meant to be. See the signs and know their meaning. It's true, you'll know how it was meant to be. Hear the signs and know they're speaking to you, to you.
~10,000 Maniacs
That is still a beautiful song and one that can always take me to a better time.
I think the message here is a timeless one, but maybe that is just me. It seems we’re all stuck looking to the future or reminiscing about the past. Were our head should be is the NOW. I’m in the homestretch of my 20s and I’m feeling as introspective as ever. If I sit and contemplate that I’ll be 30 in mere days, my head will explode. The truth is it really doesn’t matter. I can see it and recognize it as a number and an inconsequential one at that.
So these really are the days. When I’m old (not “old” according to MTV, who sends everyone away when they turn 25) I’ll reflect back on these days and realize they were some of the best. This right now today is your life. For better or worse, this is going to be it. So find some part each day that gives you a sense of peace or accomplishment or thousands of other wonderful emotions. I was thinking last night about what I would tell myself if I could go back in time. Honestly, there isn’t much. I don’t have the world figured out or my path through it mapped out. Hell, getting there is half the fun and the surprises along the way are sometimes bitter, but they can also be pretty sweet.
The best part about life is the memories you collect along the way. Personally, I’ve tried to live in the NOW, but there plenty of great things to reflect on. I remember being in 8th grade and visiting the Florida Keys. It was the first time I went anywhere without my family and it was a beautiful place to start. Seeing the sunset in the Keys ranks at the top of my list of favorites. Even more spectacular is watching it set over the Grand Canyon. After a particularly long day cramped into a van with 5 other people, I remember getting out to stretch my legs at the Grand Canyon and realizing words, pictures or video would never do this place justice.
I remember my first trip all alone. I went to Seattle to visit my only friend who was brave enough to move to the other side of the country. I connected there to the city that spawned much of the music and culture that comprised my teenage years. I felt a connection with that city and realized then that I could adapt to any new place. Along the way, there have been hundreds, possibly thousands, of these magical little moments where I’ve found myself incredibly grateful to be alive and incredibly thankful for this gift we call life.
I remember putting on my socks one morning and wondering how long my Grandmother would suffer. She was dying two states away. I remember going to her grave alone and crying like I have never cried before. I remember hiding in the bushes outside my middle school dance while “My Prerogative” thumbed through the gym wall. I was so painfully shy I couldn’t even go inside. I remember getting the nerve to finally talk to a girl, I remember finally asking one out and I remember the sting of rejection. Ultimately, rejection lost its sting the day I finally met and connected with the woman I love.
On the road ahead, there will certainly be as many highs and lows. While I’ll probably get to witness my children coming into this world, I’ll also someday be burying my parents. These events just come slowly, but sometimes they also pile up on you. The human spirit is a powerful and amazing thing. We move on, we reflect, we anticipate and we plan. Hopefully, we don’t do this while letting go of pasts hurts, not worrying about the future and living in the now. That is my goal for the decade ahead.
~10,000 Maniacs
That is still a beautiful song and one that can always take me to a better time.
I think the message here is a timeless one, but maybe that is just me. It seems we’re all stuck looking to the future or reminiscing about the past. Were our head should be is the NOW. I’m in the homestretch of my 20s and I’m feeling as introspective as ever. If I sit and contemplate that I’ll be 30 in mere days, my head will explode. The truth is it really doesn’t matter. I can see it and recognize it as a number and an inconsequential one at that.
So these really are the days. When I’m old (not “old” according to MTV, who sends everyone away when they turn 25) I’ll reflect back on these days and realize they were some of the best. This right now today is your life. For better or worse, this is going to be it. So find some part each day that gives you a sense of peace or accomplishment or thousands of other wonderful emotions. I was thinking last night about what I would tell myself if I could go back in time. Honestly, there isn’t much. I don’t have the world figured out or my path through it mapped out. Hell, getting there is half the fun and the surprises along the way are sometimes bitter, but they can also be pretty sweet.
The best part about life is the memories you collect along the way. Personally, I’ve tried to live in the NOW, but there plenty of great things to reflect on. I remember being in 8th grade and visiting the Florida Keys. It was the first time I went anywhere without my family and it was a beautiful place to start. Seeing the sunset in the Keys ranks at the top of my list of favorites. Even more spectacular is watching it set over the Grand Canyon. After a particularly long day cramped into a van with 5 other people, I remember getting out to stretch my legs at the Grand Canyon and realizing words, pictures or video would never do this place justice.
I remember my first trip all alone. I went to Seattle to visit my only friend who was brave enough to move to the other side of the country. I connected there to the city that spawned much of the music and culture that comprised my teenage years. I felt a connection with that city and realized then that I could adapt to any new place. Along the way, there have been hundreds, possibly thousands, of these magical little moments where I’ve found myself incredibly grateful to be alive and incredibly thankful for this gift we call life.
I remember putting on my socks one morning and wondering how long my Grandmother would suffer. She was dying two states away. I remember going to her grave alone and crying like I have never cried before. I remember hiding in the bushes outside my middle school dance while “My Prerogative” thumbed through the gym wall. I was so painfully shy I couldn’t even go inside. I remember getting the nerve to finally talk to a girl, I remember finally asking one out and I remember the sting of rejection. Ultimately, rejection lost its sting the day I finally met and connected with the woman I love.
On the road ahead, there will certainly be as many highs and lows. While I’ll probably get to witness my children coming into this world, I’ll also someday be burying my parents. These events just come slowly, but sometimes they also pile up on you. The human spirit is a powerful and amazing thing. We move on, we reflect, we anticipate and we plan. Hopefully, we don’t do this while letting go of pasts hurts, not worrying about the future and living in the now. That is my goal for the decade ahead.
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