“Wherever you go, there you are.” – Thomas a Kempis
Remember seeing those bumper stickers starting with, “I’d rather be….”? Fill in the blank – hiking, fishing, gardening, you name it. Golfing is how I would have answered that a few years ago (and I still love to golf), but then it hit me how foolish this type of thinking can be for us. If we truly want to be somewhere other than where we’re at, how does that affect our energy, our behavior, and most of all, how we treat others?
Please know I’m calling myself foolish first and foremost. This actually feels really good to admit! I’m guilty as charged. For years, I have come and gone from my home and my family often taking both for granted. Sure, I’m very thankful at times, but I also spend a lot of my time planning what’s next and thinking about where I want to be. This is part of goal planning and having vision, which I still believe in strongly. We need to strive to find the right balance and enjoy where we are, no matter what trial we might be going through at the time.
It reminds me of a colorful metaphor my friend Rick used to share all the time (forgive me, but hopefully the visual impacts you in the same positive, challenging way it has me). “Dougie – you got one foot planted in yesterday, the other in tomorrow, and you are (going to the bathroom) all over TODAY!” He was right. I have to check myself regularly to make sure I don’t fall back into this habit. After all, I am a human Being, not a human Doing! Now, more than ever, is a time to learn how to BE right where we are and bloom right where we are planted.
Breathe. Slow down. Go for a walk and take time to notice the beauty in things you are normally racing past to go do your next thing. Write down the emotions you are experiencing in a journal. Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. When you do this, try to listen in a way you never have before. Tell your family members you love them. Right now can be a powerful time to start going deeper and stop living so much on the surface. If there’s hope in the future, there’s power in the present.
A really good book to read is “Wherever you go, There you are”. It is a wonderful book. I have read it many times.