As I stared at the blank screen waiting for words to come to my mind to put into this column, I figured I’d look back at what I had written previously in hopes those pieces would inspire something new.
Luckily for me, it did just that. There was something I noticed though. Many of my columns since joining this publication have centred around personal reflection, looking at both the positive and negative times in my life.
I don’t know why I choose to do that with these columns, but it seems the most authentic option for me. Maybe, someone reading will relate more to these journal-type writings than when reading through normal news articles.
Looking back can be important when it comes to seeking comfort personally. It’s something I’m sure we have all experienced since the COVID-19 pandemic took over our lives. But it can also – as it has for me at times – be damaging.
I am, today, the oldest I have ever been, as are you. It’s easy to think about how life has passed by when you realize how long you’ve actually been here already.
I once heard a quote in a movie that said, “Life passes most people by while they’re making grand plans for it.”
The older I get, the more that quote resonates with me, and that is coming from someone who didn’t even have a set life goal or path until he was about 25.
What blows me away is realizing that some of the most important points in our lives, at the time, can seem so insignificant.
I read somewhere something that stuck with me – I think it was actually an internet meme. The photo was of an adorable, animated frog, lying on his back near a river as the sun began to set. The caption read, “I hope my life is going well right now, I can never tell until I’m looking back.”
I saw it and thought it was both hilarious and depressing, because I think that is something a lot of people can relate to. It’s also something that really made me take a step back and be grateful for being here at all.
Nearing the end of 2021, and as someone who has never agreed with or took part in New Year’s resolutions, I’ve decided to start today with a new approach. That approach is centred on finding the good in each day, and the people who supply those moments that I’ll one day look back on fondly.
I personally think an important key to life may be diagnosing those important moments, right while they are happening. I also believe that may start with being present and grateful to be around to experience how great life really is, no matter how hard it gets at times.
