It freaks me out to think that tomorrow I'll be 70.
So tonight I rummaged though my aging brain, looking for some (possible) wisdom to share with a (possible) waiting world. I came up with this post that I wrote for my HinesSight blog: "Regret and hope are luxuries for the young."
Hey, at least the title sounds kind of philosophically profound. I readily admit my "live for the moment" advice is cliched. But sometimes cliches are wonderfully true.
Here's an excerpt from the post:
In fact, I'm becoming increasingly convinced that after a certain age, and I feel that I've passed it, both hope for the future and regret about the past are luxuries for the young.
Why?
Because most young people have many more years to live. They have plenty of time to learn from their mistakes and to plan for a better future. So it makes sense for their psyche to do the sort of "ego feasting" Pollon speaks of.
What made this relationship fail? How did I end up in such a crappy job? Where do I want to live when I'm tired of this town? Should I have children, and if so, how many? Why doesn't my life seem truly meaningful? How can I make friends with people I really care about? How great will it be after I lose 20 pounds?
There's so many questions. Good questions. Great questions.
Our past and future are filled with them. As Pollon said, it is easy, and often fun, to time travel our way into regrets about the past and hopes for the future. Or other sorts of thoughts about what was and what may come to be.
There's nothing wrong with doing this. But there's a cost.
We can't be here and now when we're in there and then. Now, actually we're always here and now, because there's no other possible place to be. But our present moment attention can be doing the time traveling thing, leaving us less aware of what exists in the reality that's staring right at us, as opposed to a memory of the past or an envisioning of the future.
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@ Brian- Happy Birthday 🎁. May you have many more happy decades to come. Wishing you health and have a great time with you loved ones whatever you do on your big day!
All the best big ma.
Regards
A.
Happy Birthday my blogging friend!
Wish you well, always…
Happy Birthday Brian!!
I wish you many years to come!!
Have fun!
No worries Brian … 70 is the new 50 🙂
Hi Brian!
Happy birthday!
You wrote
“But our present moment attention can be doing the time traveling thing, leaving us less aware of what exists in the reality that’s staring right at us, as opposed to a memory of the past or an envisioning of the future.”
We are always attending to something.
I think we should pick something we like. For some it is accomplishment. For others, entertainment. For others exploration and discovery. The capacity to grow, to learn, to move forward depends only upon our willingness to focus, and to stay focused on something we treasure.
You can travel the world, go back in time and forward to a vision of the future in nothing more than a good conversation with a good friend.
Whether the timeline is yours or an alternate universe only depends upon which one of you is speaking.
Happy Birthday Brian!!!
Wonderful birthday to you, the one who has made all the difference in this life of mine. Thank you!
Jen said
No worries Brian … 70 is the new 50 🙂
Go 80 , it’s the new 28
Perhaps you find 20 seconds of no Thoughts
You have the tools
Don’t hurt
777
Happy Birthday, Brian!
Wish you many, many happy returns!
For he’s a jolly good fellow!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!
Wish you health, happiness, joy.
Happy birthday young man!!
Happy Birthday Brian! I am so thankful that I found your blog a few years back! I was born in the RS cult going on for generations and somehow felt that there was a lot of stuff that did not make any sense, however since I knew nothing else except RS, my journey to find out the truth about them took a long time and it concluded after I found this blog. I have been RS free since 2015 and couldn’t be happier! My search for the true path still continues but at least I don’t have to carry all that excess RS luggage on my shoulders. I am so thankful to your ongoing blog and I really hope we will get to enjoy your writing for many many years to come! If you ever think about organizing an in person group event, it would be fun to meet with you and other seekers of the truth. Happy Birthday!!
Same thoughts Nick NY
Belated Happy Birthday! I did think of you on your day just didn’t have time to check the blog. 🙂
Happy New Year, Brian 🙂
Wish you lots and lots fo Shabd in this brand new year of your life.