Sunday, April 28, 2013

The Curse of the Countdown



Perhaps this is a pitfall of the teaching profession. There is always some sort of break, holiday, or change on the horizon to look forward to. I find myself constantly checking my calendar, counting down the weeks until the next 3 day weekend or Winter/Spring/Summer break. 
This pattern has followed me since grade school. And it doesn’t just pertain to school or work. 
I operate my life with my eyes on the future and my heart on a dream, wishing for something else, for what’s next. Wishing I knew more, had more, could do more. Dreaming of how great life will be when I get to the next stage -- and then when I do arrive at the next stage, I skip straight ahead to envisioning the gleam of what’s still yet to come.
Sometimes this happens in work related matters, and sometimes this happens in love and relationships.
Truly, it’s unreasonable to think that I would be able to fully enjoy any stage or occurrence in my life without the gifts of the present one. 

My life unfolds in divine order. 

A mantra shared by Deepak Chopra. How many times have I read or heard a similar phrase? And how many times has it struck home in a true and palpable way?

We cannot connect the dots of our life without the gift of hindsight. Finding gratitude for a current situation, especially a trying one, is often one of the hardest things to do.

Where can you find the grace and the ease, right now? Where can you find it amongst the chaos and confusion of life? That is the gift. Whatever is coming will come, and whether the next stage is just within reach or far beyond sight, it would be meaningless without the current stone upon which you stand. 


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