Tomorrow, We Could Be Yesterday

Christopher McDonald, who plays Tommy Jefferson on the TV series Harry's Law,uttered those words on an episode I watched the other night. It's not a program I watch much, but his words struck a chord with me. His point, aimed squarely at people in their 50's and beyond, is that when you're in the midst of things in your current occupation, feeling stressed and not having much fun, you need to remember to savor this moment.

Soon enough, I will be the guy who used to be me. But today, I am in the middle of it, in the game, and I don't want to wake up 15 years from now asking why didn't I really make it fun, live in the moment and savor it? So when challenges are laid before you, jump in and have some fun. It won't last forever, but you might just miss it when the ride is over.

The real gift is to learn to apply that thinking and habit to every new challenge you run across, whether it's plying your present trade or tackling something new in your second half of life. Have fun making the attempt and don't focus on the stress or the difficulty. Savor the lessons you learn and thank God you got off your behind and reached for your dream, whatever it is.

But, what if you take on some kind of ordinary work to pile up a little money to visit someplace you always wanted to take? Do you just put up with it, or do you look through the prism of savoring all of it? If you have learned the gift of habitually savoring it, you won't be wasting time, you will be full of the present, on the verge of arriving at that destination you set out for when you tackled the work to get there.

So, beyond thinking it, how do I make this a part of me? What is my normal reaction to the stressors in my world? Worry, frowning at the world, snapping at people around me, feeling the urge to walk out? What have I taught myself to do about these reactions? Some are good (taking a deep breath, taking a walk, getting a good night's sleep, getting some exercise), some less so (having a good stiff drink--or two, blaming others, escaping into some other wasteful activity, tears). What if I try a twist on the expression I have used sarcastically in times of stress--"Are we having fun yet?" Having fun is another way to savor the good and the bad, to make what's heavy and dragging you down just part of the experience today, because tomorrow, we could be yesterday.