Every now and then I find myself thinking about living in a different time period in my life than the present. Actually I find myself doing it a lot.
For instance, on the drive home yesterday I started thinking about my childhood and wishing I could go back just for one day to relive it all. Back in our old house. A summer day so I could take a dip in the pool, play with my neighborhood friends, hang out with my little sis (I’d be nicer to her this time), roll around in the grass with our dog, and spend the evening reading the latest Baby-sitter’s Club book in my rainbow-themed wallpapered room. Not a care in the world.
When I’m not thinking about the past, I’m thinking about the future. The kids are grown and more independent, our basement is finally finished and all our home projects are complete, we take nice vacations, and I’m not stressing about whether or not I have enough money in the budget for a new pair of shoes. You know, because all of this will happen in the future… obviously.
Is this normal? Why can’t I ever live in the present? I think I’m happy. I just get caught up in the day-to-day responsibilities of being a mom, taking care of my family, and working. Sometimes I try to remind myself to be more appreciative of the present and enjoy the NOW instead of escaping to the past or future. Because someday I might reminisce about today and wish I had it all back.
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6 thoughts on “Living in the Now”
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I completely identify with you. My life is really stressful right now, so I think back to when things were more carefree and ahead to when I hope they’ll be that way again. Like you, I don’t want to focus too much on the past and future and miss out on all the great things happening now. I think a vacation is in order!
If it’s not normal, I’m not normal either!
My favorite memories are of early adult-hood and living in the first house I owned. I had the most beautiful friend in the world at the time, and many Fridays my dog and I would walk over to her house with movies and a carton of butter-pecan ice cream. Looking back on the constant chaos of today, it was paradise!
And I think that’s the reason I do it: It’s a momentary, though granted imaginary, break from the chaos.
I never make it too far into the future. Maybe a month or so, when my husband’s back from boot camp. And I’m really bad about thinking “oh, this week is going to suck, I just want it to be over already. But then, like you, I realize that one of these days this will be the past I miss and pull myself back into the here and now. I still crave butter pecan ice cream, though!
Yes, a vacation is definitely in order. Or a gallon of ice cream. Maybe both. 🙂
I totally missed this post, Cala!
I don't think I think about the past or the future too much–I'm too focused on the now and trying to keep it altogether. I just don't have TIME to think about the future or the past, but mang, it does sound nice to daydream.
Everyone is always warning me that I'll miss these days when they're no longer around. So I try to focus on living in the "now" but I think I'm always thinking of what's next–as in, we did this and this today, we can do this and this tmrw and trying to cram it all in during the little bit of time I have with O each day. There has been a post rolling around in my head about it for awhile, but I haven't been able to get my thoughts on paper/interwebs.
I am totally doing this right now. So much so that I am having some silly impulse control issues with wanting to do things a younger freer me would have done, like get my first tatoo in my 30’s.
It’s like the monotony of everyday life causing me to wish for my childhood or when the kids get older.
Just wanted to say you aren’t alone!
Kimmie
I think the problem with our society is that too many people live "in the now." When you really think about it, we only spent a tiny fraction of our life in the now 🙂 most of our life is in the past or the future. What is wrong with reliving your past (as long as you don't get totally caught up in nostalgia and abandon the now and future) and we should all be living for the future, it is where we are going after all.
Living in the now is living selfishly. Living in the now is living alone. Living in the now is sad.
I prefer to live in the past, even if the past was 2 minutes ago. I prefer to live in the future, if only ten seconds from now. The present is here and gone, it is fleeting. It is a wast to live in the now.
Just my two cents.
If anyone agrees with me, you should read my blog. This is what I write about.