Live In The Now

One thing I have done for many years is to try to live in the now. I try to focus on the good things that are happening in the present and near-term future.

That really started taking hold of my back in sixth grade when my cornea transplant went bad overnight. Waking up with half your vision clouded over and seeing it progress as the day goes on was tough.

It set in even more deeply when my father, who wasn’t blood, died. He had many flaws, but I loved him, and he sacrificed a lot on my behalf. I talked shit about sports to him, and a couple of days later he was brain dead. Numerous poor decisions on his part were a factor, but it really set my mind into realizing how short life is.

The pandemic, too, reinforced these thoughts for me. You just never know what curveballs life can throw at you. We missed out on plenty of things to protect the many around us who couldn’t be bothered to sacrifice a little for their health and life.

Now I really try to live in the present and not dwell on the uncertainty of the future. You can do all the right things, and ultimately things can go sideways for any reason at any time.

With that being said, I don’t really make too many rash decisions either. I think of the long-term consequences, but I don’t stop myself from doing things I want to do or that are important to me.

The only thing that is guaranteed to us is the now.

That ends Carl’s unsolicited advice for today.