Aftershocks of Travel
Saturday, June 7th, 2008Or, Incarnations of MyselfÂ
Ever catch yourself feeling sad that the past was a bright, exciting place and the present seems so gray in comparison?
I do.
But even if the past really were that great (and it wasn’t quite what I make it out to be in these moments), it’s a ridiculous thing to get sad about.
That I lived something amazing should be a reason for daily celebration.
Why do we do amazing things, anyway? Certainly not so that the future will seem dull in comparison! No one scales a mountain to be able to say, “Tomorrow will be boring compared to this!”
No!
We do great things to live fully in the moment, to have something splendid to think back on, and to bring the better elements of our experience into our present lives, where they will color our personality and touch everything that we do.
We don’t do them to lament the moments that feel less intense, but to carry more meaning and understanding of the world into everything that surrounds us. To seed each moment with something we have already lived so we may watch it continue to grow with us.
How else can we, ourselves, grow?
Not by mourning the things we used to have, but by integrating everything we’ve had and everyone we’ve been into right now, giving us a lifetime to pull from as we create who we are, from minute to minute, every day.
bonniecaton