Living Life in the Good ‘ol Days

I’m sure you haven’t done this, but during stressful moments in my life, or when things just don’t seem to be going my way, I often long for the “good ‘ol days.” You know those days: when times were easier, life was more fun, everything was going your way, you had more money, freedom, time, etc. Ah…the good ‘ol days. But I have to ask the question, what makes those days any better than the days we’re living in right now?

Sure, maybe my life’s more hectic and I no longer have the disposable income I did before leaving the workforce and enrolling in school again, but are the days past REALLY so much better? Why do we spend time longing for the past when we’re living in the present – or rather we should be living in the present.

I’m pretty sure that 5, 10, 20, 50 (if I’m so blessed) years from now as I sit in my rocking chair or ride my Rascal Scooter around, I’ll look back at today and consider it the good ‘ol days. I mean, think about it. Today I’m healthy, in the prime of life, having experiences I could only dream about 5 or 10 years ago, and I’m realizing those dreams NOW. Sure, my today can suck hardcore, but I know it’ll get better, because life, and the good ‘ol days, have taught me that.

So as I continue to work toward my goals of graduation, satisfaction, completion, and any other "tion” word, I’m going to concentrate harder at living in the present instead of the past. Today is a future “good ‘ol day” and I need to treat it as such. Because, ultimately, I can’t change the past, but my present dictates my future – for better or worse – and I’d kinda like to have a future I can look forward to…Rascal Scooter and all.