I’ve been working on a new “bigger and better” version of the BLOG as well as the BOOK that I promised back in 2015. It’s coming along nicely as I am nearing the end of both. In a nutshell, I will still be doing weekly updates to my BLOG (as always), while the BOOK, which will only be a small paperback edition, is available as a Pre-Order on CreateSpace and will have a much larger print run. I hope to have the book available by August/September of 2020.
If you were a friend of my in the past on Facebook and signed up to the weekly newsletter by the way, I have switched to mailing the new blog and book updates directly to your email. It’s not spam, no ads, and it’s the same information as I send out every week. No need to sign up or even check. Just ignore this email if you don’t want to hear from me anymore. 🙂
It was a bittersweet moment today. It’s one that I’ve anticipated for over 15 years now. It’s a moment I would love to hold on to forever, but it also comes with sadness and a lot of bittersweet reflections. It has been a good 15 years and it has been a long time since I first discovered and then made the move from buying DVDs to VHSs, to the next generation in DVDs, to then being able to purchase movies via an app, and finally to having the ability to watch them on the TV or mobile device. And, now that Amazon has made Prime a part of its product offerings, most new movies these days come included in Amazon Prime.
As such, I have had quite the run of movies over the past two years. For about the last year and a half, if a new movie came out, it was automatically added to the instant queue. No brainer, right?
No, not really. I found it to be a very painful reminder of all that I missed out on.
It’s a moment I never expected or even thought to have. It’s a moment I never considered could happen in my lifetime.
Yet, as I reflect back, I don’t know that I would have it any other way. It’s not as if I would go back and change the past if I could, I wouldn’t. It’s that life keeps going. It keeps moving forward.
We can’t go back and change the past, but we can take those experiences and lessons with us. Even if it’s an awareness that we just let slip away. It’s those experiences and lessons that keep us going forward, even if the past is something that you can never escape.
That thought is what I had in mind when thinking about the future this week.
That moment was like the future. It was something that came out of the past that we may not have ever had otherwise, but that makes us who we are today.
That may be why it’s easy to think of ourselves as failures in life. It’s the past that led us to that moment. For me, those memories are the ones that have defined me. They are the ones that have made me who I am today. And, even though the past may not have made sense at times, it shaped my character and showed me what I was capable of.
But, then there are the memories where we go wrong and we make mistakes. We can learn from those as well. We don’t always have to view them as bad. They are just moments in time. We can go back to those moments and reflect on what we could have done differently to make a better situation. We can learn from them so that next time, we know to do better. Or, we can let that memory become a catalyst for growth. It’s our choice. We may never know what that future holds, but we can shape our own future.
Whether in the past or future, our future is going to be shaped by the events, emotions, and memories that we have collected.
The future is going to happen whether we like it or not, but the way in which we embrace it will be shaped by what we take from the past and what we decide to leave in the past.
For me, this weekend was a past that I would have rather left in the past. I had thought of my “future” as being just being alive. Being a part of my family and friends on this Earth and enjoying life and being present. For me, that is a future that I have never let myself believe could happen. My life has always had this “in-between” stage. There have been periods in my life where I’ve tried so hard to move on to the next stage and I know now that I had failed. For me, the past is always in the present.
For me, the moment we are having now, whether in the future or past, can be a memory that you can only move forward from. The future will happen whether we like it or not. So, why not embrace it now? That’s where our future can be.
Today is the 7th Anniversary of my arrival in the town where I live. I have been here since 2016. It’s a place that’s been kind to me. It’s a place that’s changed with me. There are parts that I recognize and part that I haven’t seen before. It’s a place that still has its challenges and issues, but it’s a place that I have found great comfort, peace, and safety.
I have my own story as to why I stayed and why I moved here. I won’t go into it here, but I will say this…I was tired of being where I was and going through the motions of daily life without much fulfillment. I needed more. For me, life has been a journey towards enlightenment, love, acceptance, and love. To find happiness and comfort within my life and the people around me. Life hasn’t been a daily struggle, but rather a daily quest for the good in the world.
Yet, there are still times that I am faced with adversity. I can’t avoid it. The world doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t give us anything if we don’t ask for it. It doesn’t give us anything if we don’t seek it out. I often say that life is full of blessings and curses. One depends on how you look at it. And it all starts with what we choose to bring to the table of life.
It is for this reason that I think that it’s important to always find the best in those around you. To embrace those around you as family and friends.
And, one of the best parts of life is how it is shared with the people around you.
For me, the past has defined me. It’s the moments in my life that are the most memorable, most difficult, or the best times in my life. I always want to embrace them and never forget them. When we have hard times in our life, or are struggling through it, it’s important to keep reminding yourself that those moments are the experiences that have shaped who you are and those who you are. It’s who you are today.
It’s where you’re at in your life right now.
Life happens. We’re not always comfortable with that. It’s not always easy to embrace life’s tough moments, but we have to make the best of it. We have to embrace what’s happening.
And that’s what I am going to do.
I was reflecting today on just how fortunate I am to have a job that I enjoy. Even with the tough challenges that face us, the work is still there. And, the work is still my passion. I don’t plan on doing anything different. I am excited about the new projects that are in the works. We’re going to put together some great content for you all.
And, in the end, there are those memories that shape our future. There are those moments that we can either embrace or let pass. It’s our choice.
You have been blessed with the ability to go back in time if you choose to do so. Every moment in your life comes with a unique set of experiences and events that shape who you are today.
For some of us, it’s memories. For others, it’s not what we choose to do. We are left to decide our own fate and our own future. We can embrace that or we can simply let it pass by.
I had thought of my “future” as being just being alive. Being a part of my family and friends on this Earth and enjoying life and being present. For me, that is a future that I have never let myself believe could happen. My life has always had this “in-between” stage. There have been periods in my life where I’ve tried so hard to move on to the next stage and I know now that I had failed. For me, the past is always in the present.
So, why not embrace it now? That’s where our future can be. And, at this point in my life, I am embracing my past and my future together.
It’s not necessarily about one at a time, but about how they
