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“Wherever you are…

BE THERE!”

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Unmasking the Crafty Ever-Present Adversary
that you never knew existed

I had a good week. . . a fun week, as a matter of fact. I reached a milestone, achieved a goal, hit a deadline. I was tired when Friday afternoon slipped into the picture; but I was ready to take that deep breath, look back on all the “must do” items that had lines drawn through them and relish the sense of accomplishment.

I kicked off my shoes, poured a cold glass of iced tea and leaned back in my “seasoned” living room recliner. I enjoyed the tea. . . soaked in the moment. . . even relaxed for a bit. Then, I went to my office and clicked on “FINLAND.”

The link leads back to something I wrote in February of 2011. Yes, I read my own stuff. Believe it or not, I write it for me to read. I need a point of reference, something to remember, something to stay on track when things get a little foggified (Just roll with it. It could be a word).

I’m a Pisces, which means I’m easily drawn to the next cool thing on the horizon and the fuzzy afternoon world of What-If-Ville.

Pisceans are hopelessly addicted to fantasy and imagination. We tend to gravitate towards any opportunity to visualize the preposterous. FTR, I think “gravitate” is a non-word that continued to get used as a deviant verb association of gravity until it was finally accepted. (Just making my case for foggified)

Back to the original thought: Perpetually tempted from every angle, I need something to keep me anchored and bring me back to balance. Welcome to my world. It is what it is. At this stage, I don’t fight it.

That some of you dare to “listen to the voices in my head,” well. . . at your own risk, please.

The entry on the other end of the hyperlink is called Killing Giants and Pulling Thorns. It was written to remind me of four eternal absolutes:

1. We were born with all the “stuff” we need to win our biggest battles.
2. Some of our battles rage without conclusion.
3. We give power to our greatest foes more often than we realize.
4. Victories aren’t final. They simply serve to release the next challenge.

 As Stephen Tyler sang,

“You’re feedin’ off a high that will not last. . . ”

What? I can’t Freeze Frame it all and just soak in the moment? You can soak it in, bask in the glow and nuzzle the warm fuzzy; BUT. . . it’s a moment! 

Like it or not, you’re just passing through and your moment is permanently attached to what will become known as yesterday, last week, last month, not-too-long ago and eventually, once upon a time.

This works in our favor when the recent past is something we can’t wait to put behind us, but we tend to let go amid kicking and screaming when the experience was fulfilling.

The undeniable truth is that time serves to remove us from what was and introduce us to what will be without regard to our own personal sentiment. Ready or not, you’re moving on.

Here’s the tragic, unrealized truth. We are gifted moment by moment with the puzzle pieces of the present. What we build is the only thing that we can influence. Unfortunately, most of those gift boxes pass through our hands unopened.

So shackled by the past,
so enamored with dreams of the future;
we often evict ourselves from the present.

In this regard, we are often like a preoccupied giant who plays happily with marbles while our golden-egg laying hen and harp disappear.

The 70’s may call, looking for its hairstyles. The 80’s may come knocking, looking for its music. But, Today. . . This Moment. . . Right Now. . . it never calls or knocks. It simply leaves the door unlocked and lays out the welcome mat.

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“We have this moment to hold in our hands
And to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand.
Yesterday’s gone and tomorrow may never come,
But we have this moment today.”

                                                                      -Bill Gaither