These are the good old days

These are the good old days.

That’s a phrase I repeat to myself often. It makes me realizethat whatever I am going through, whatever kind of day I’m having, that someday I am going to look back on this time of my life and remember it as a special, important time.

I thought of it again this morning. My 19-year-old daughter and I were both up in the wee hours of the morning, getting ready for work. We had a nice conversation, and I told myself, “These are the good old days,” because someday she won’t be here. She’ll get married and have a family of her own; and I’ll look back on today and say, “I remember the good old days.”

Just like I remember doing the morning show at a radio station back in the 80s. I would be up at 4 a.m. and here would come that same daughter, in her little footed pajamas. I could have told her to “Get back in bed!” Instead, I would take the time, fix her a bowl of cereal, and there we sat, father and daughter, at our little table in our little apartment, while mom slept unaware of the sugar I was pumping into her baby’s body.

Today is the day! Soak it up and live it for all it’s worth. Feel the life in every moment and thank God for it.

We have a little family of Cardinal birds that have nested right next to a window at our office here. It’s so cool. You can see right into the nest. First they were eggs. Then they were little fuzzy babies. Little kids like Abby and Isabel come in and are fascinated by the birds, just an inch or two from the window.

I thought of a line from Psalm 119 that says, “I will meditate on Your wonders.”

Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer so I spent a lot oftime in prayer. I went to the Senate chambers and prayed as the Senators discussed and voted on bill after bill. I went to the House. I watched the lobbyists, the aides and everyone in their power suits rushing here and there. Then I went to the top of the capitol building and quietly pondered the panoramic view of Tallahassee. FSU. Florida A & M. The Supreme Court. Apalachee Parkway. The civic center. Jets flying by. Thousands of people jamming the highways.

I pondered and prayed and soaked it up. Governor Bush took time out of his busy schedule to join us in prayer. I observed all the nameless volunteers who helped with the nitty-gritty of the prayer event. I watched hundreds of tiny children parade past with their “prayer passports” and wondered about each of their little lives, their daddies and mommies and their own little footed pajamas. All of them are loved by God.

Later I sat down exhausted, thankful for my little sandwich and bag of chips, on a concrete ledge in the shade. And I watched the ants marching with order and discipline, making strategic plans for my oatmeal cookie.

What a big and busy world. “I will meditate on Your wonders.”

Why get hung up on the past? Why worry about the future? There is so much to life today. Grab hold of it! Notice it, don’t rush past it.

I like this old phrase, “Wherever you are, be there.”

That means, participate in this moment. Don’t have your mind off somewhere else. Don’t miss the joys of the day just because you weren’t paying attention. Remember, “These are the good old days.”

~A MountainWings Original by Doug Apple, Tallahassee, FL~

I really like the above article for two reasons.

Firstly, it reaffirms my belief in what I do. "Carpe Diem" has been my cry too. Too many people are too hung up on the past and that hampers their performance and happiness in the present. Worry about the past will not change it. Or they are too worried about the future. I once read that worry about the future is interest accrued on troubles one is yet to encounter! I couldn' t have put it better myself. However, Carpe Diem does not mean that one cannot learn from the past or plan for the future. Au contraire, one should do both. But that should not prevent one from living in the present.

Secondly, this article makes me realise that there are millions of things around me that I will cherish 10 years or 20 years from now. Writing a blog at leisure, listening to RD Burman songs, dancing in an office party while suffering from Dengue (probably!!), making tea with neembu and tulsi from our kitchen garden, sharing that cuppa tea with my mom, while talking about Diwali preparations, talking over the phone with my 4-yr old nephew and 3-yr old niece, enjoying a good joke, reading scraps , emails and SMSs from students/friends concerned about my health are just some of the things that I can think of, which I enjoyed immensely in the last 24 hours. It is not there are no troubles in today's life, but how can I let them overshadow the good things in my life?