Past, Present or Future?

Please excuse me for getting somewhat philosophical with this one, but that can happen when you spend hours on the sea…

Riding in my favorite spot at the bow, I was staring down for a while at the water below. Looking up, I could eye our next destination, Zadar, in the distance. A metaphorical thought came to me and it got me thinking… Which is more important — contemplating the past, the present, or the future? Everyone might have a different answer.

The Past

There is obviously value in looking back, seeing how far one has come, relishing in goals that have been accomplished, and what lessons have been learned. There is joy and honor in reliving memories and sharing old stories. There are events to record for posterity. There are marks that have been made and lives that have been touched.

The Present

You always hear “live in the moment.” There is much value to that as well – being present for the people around you, being a great listener, being aware and anticipating needs, soaking up moments because isn’t life a collection of moments?

The Future

How often are we taught to have goals, plan ahead, get organized, dream big? There are always holidays and events (big and small) to look forward to. There is personal growth to develop. The future can hold a lot of goodness and there is value in planning for it.

But…

– How easy it is to dwell in the past and not let go in order to move forward? 

– How easy is it to focus so much on instant gratification that we lose patience and planning skills for the long haul?

– How easy is it to always be planning the “next thing” and miss out on memories being created right in front of our eyes?

For me, I think I focus too much on the future. Conor might argue with me here as he is the dreamer and strategist between us. I, however, am the implementer. So while my “future” is much shorter term, my natural way of being is to plan and organize whatever the “next thing” is. That is my happy place. But, I have a terrible memory. (The biggest reason I am recording this blog!) Partly, I have to write everything down in order to remember it. But also, I don’t think I live in the moment nearly enough. I’m already thinking too far ahead to relish the current moment and soak it in. 

So that’s what I need to work on. Time to get back out on the bow and focus on the water right below… Recognizing and embalming on my brain the deep blue color, the sparkling sun reflections, the calm rolls, the small amounts of froth, the white caps that today are far and few between, the “sun star” shape that is made in the water right below my feet, the sound of the water crashing against the hulls as we cut through, the sound of the engines propelling us forward, the company of dear friends sharing the moment.

What about you?