The Future

It seems like everyone I talk to lately is very focused on five, 10, or even 20 years from today. People seem to be planning out their careers, their family life, and most of the big decisions they will inevitably have to make at some point in the future. There's a big focus on having all the parts of your education and future professional life all plotted out and every step along the path carved out for you to gently and readily step in to. This seems to be the case with people even as young as 15 or 16 years old, which blows my mind. I definitely have a lot of respect for people who think ahead and plan as opposed to just living a day to day lifestyle. I certainly wish I planned a little more when I was younger, I wish I looked ahead to more than just the given day's evening, and I definitely wish I took school more seriously.

Having said that, I must remind people that we live in an amazing, beautiful, and incredibly interesting world! We aren't drones that are meant to work, work, work and forget about everything else. I am definitely not saying we need to make having fun the primary focus of our lives and forget about getting an education and a career, but people... I'm meeting WAY too many people who are 20 years old going on 40. It's okay to slow down and go out into the forest to read and enjoy creation. It's not a sin to go take a walk through the city and do some people watching, or maybe even strike up a conversation with an intriguing stranger. It becomes more and more difficult (if not nearly impossible) to do these things when you have a family and children to take care of, so enjoy these years. There is a fine balance that needs to be found in order to be productive in accomplishing your goals while still being able to enjoy your life, but I implore all of you; FIND THAT BALANCE. Go visit your grandparents, have an evening with them. Go for a bike ride, feel the wind in your face (or for the NW people, the rain). Go on an adventure with a friend, explore a new place and have some deep, meaningful conversation. Enjoy your life, and carpe diem!

Now go find this place!