Last night, on my way home, I was talking to one of my best friends, and I told her that I wished I could fast forward through the difficulty of the present and wind up in the future, where I'm married, perhaps a parent, living in our perfect house and settled in my career.
"But there's no magic potion," I said. "So, I guess I'll build the foundation one day at a time."
"No, of course there's no magic potion," she answered. "And if someone said there was a magic potion, you'd tell them they were crazy, because there's no such thing as magic!"
I thought about this, but it didn't take me long to respond. "No, I don't think I would," I said. "If someone told me there was a magic potion I'd be thrilled! I can lose weight in a hurry? Awesome! I can avoid a ton of heartache? Brilliant! I hate working hard, waiting and not knowing. I have to believe in magic!"
She laughed hysterically at how preposterous I sounded.
It's clear that my desire for a magic potion is flawed and that my abhorrence for hard work, heartache, patience and trusting is misguided. (And contrary to the traits I exhibited while working full-time and putting myself through grad school and college.) We all need the journey to appreciate the end results. And everything takes time. So, the old cliche is true -- life itself is a journey, not a destination. (That realization =#123.)
But, as everyone already knows, living life day-to-day is easier said than done. Being content in the present and working only to achieve what we can today is incredibly difficult. Particularly when we have to do that with finite resources but limited control and whilst holding ourselves to a higher standard by hanging onto our dreams. I hate it.
So, if true be told, I'm only taking life building a strong foundation because I have no other option. But because I have no other option, I've decided to embrace it.
All of this highlights the beauty in Hannah Stephenson/TheStorialist's recent "ASAP" poem (#124). My favorite line is (it's probably obvious):
The sooner,
the better, even now would
be too late, but acceptable.
Okay, dear readers, it's Thursday. So, stop dawdling here -- when you've finished reading this, head over to read the most recent Sugar (at The Rumpus) column.
-Me
PS: Wonderful couple of hours with Mr. Wonderful last night = #125...