Appropriating the value of today
I have seen people walk in-and-out of my life as if they were going through a revolving door. It is therefore easy for one to become cynical and to be sceptical when someone creates the impression that they are planning to remain in your life forever. Fortunately, I now realise that it is an unrealistic expectation to think that any human being is compelled to remain in one’s life forever. Nothing in life is guaranteed. The joy of today often cascades into a mirage of heartache tomorrow. I understand that there are times when we naively claim people for ourselves amidst the belief that nothing or no one could ever bring division between us.
The fleeting moments of life have made me realise that I need to maximise each encounter, embrace opportunities today and never use the excuse of regret to explain my reluctance to say the things that matter to the significant individuals in my life. I must admit that there are moments when looking into the eye of those whom I love, that I need to discern the moment to speak about the things which that moment affords me to say. It has taught me the ability to be authentic and to express my gratitude to people irrespective the nature of our relationship. In addition, it has made truth a citizen of my speech and taught me the value of reflecting critically before I even consider providing asylum to a lie. It has also assisted me in refusing bitterness and hatred entry into my heart or to allow my mind an opportunity to refute claims of why I should love less than I am capable of.
Each morning when I open my eyes, I realise the mammoth task to not only walk through the hours of each day, but to ensure that I allow the minutes and seconds to edge me closer to destiny. For I know that there are days when I will be brought to an abrupt pause and my mind become distracted by things over which I have no control. My heart understands that the swiftness of my feet today will become steps which are measured in future. Moreover, the resources I have available to myself are not there to enrich my own live, but to unearth the wealth of potential locked up in the people whom I daily encounter. Far too often the tangible materialism of our lives outweighs the intangible quality of our character.
Although our worldview has been shaped by the understanding that we need to acquire things to increase the value to our lives and improve our status in society, we often live a feigned reality. Our identity is sharpened by the engagement we have with people and our growth determined by our ability to overcome challenges in our relationship with others. The mutable nature of human beings demands that we prioritise that which is important. Failure to do that could result in our emotions being captured and our purpose hijacked by things which are ultimately meaningless. No matter how much wealth we amass, it can never be transported with us beyond our current mortality. It only finds meaning when it can change the immediate circumstances of others or work on our behalf long after we have returned to dust.
Daily we are surrounded by beauty, not merely the decay of the fragility of life. Beauty is framed in the rising of the sun and when sunset kisses the orange tinted horizon. It lies in the developing potential of a child not fully realised and in the heartbeat of the adolescent determined to pursue a dream. Yet, beauty shines ever so bright when life is measured by our ability to see it, not merely in the familiar, but in that which is foreign to our paradigm. In short, beauty is not merely that which we observe in another, but I consider beauty as an inalienable choice. Some choose to see that which stands in opposition to beauty and to place it in their peripheral vision.
I understand that observing life in the presence of today also means looking at it through the prism of yesterday. For today is frequently painted by the colour of yesterday’s brush. The failure of yesterday however should never prevent us from shying away from presenting our lives today. There are days when our past becomes the curator who determines why our masterpieces ought not to be displayed in the gallery of life. Naturally, not every solution comes short of midnight. Yet, always dragging yesterday into the company of today, is never allowing yourself to appreciate the promise of today. Consequently, we do not always need to live life according to the watermark of yesterday.
