“I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you’ve actually left them….”
A sad quote from one of my old favorite TV shows, The Office.
Looking back with regret or sadness seems to be a theme lately, but I don’t really have much to look back on. Being seventeen limits my perspective quite a bit and I have no problem acknowledging that, but for the first time in my life, I had a real moment of nostalgia. And I don’t mean remembering an old game I would play or rediscovering my early childhood music, but I got to truly walk through my past.
I thought back to the hard lessons I learned, the scars I earned, and old relationships that have faded. Altogether, it was a rather bitter-sweet experience because I felt as if I were looking back on a golden time of my life that I will never get back. Only now can I look at my life and appreciate every mountain top and valley; the ones where the world felt like it was mine for the taking, or the days when I couldn’t even stand to get out of bed.
Now I know that every one of those moments led me to where I am today and I couldn’t be more grateful.
As a result, I’m doing my best to start seeing the world a little differently; every day I wake up surrounded by countless little lessons and opportunities, and I just aim to recognize their value long before they’re overdue.
My goal for today, this month, and the rest of 2021 is to learn to appreciate the value of the present and every second I’m here, because the “good old days” aren’t gone, aren’t on their way, but are right here and are there for the taking.
