Live In The Present 6/26/2016

Good Morning,

My weekend trek to the patio to write has been interrupted by a thunder storm laced with some rain. So today, I write from the safety of my den armed with a hot cup of Door County Coconut Crush Coffee.

Our home is decorated in antiques and many of them are items that we actually use. But hidden away in our laundry area are a new Maytag washing machine and a matching clothes dryer. As much as the old things we have are nice memorabilia and still usable, there comes a time that we need to live in the present. We have a washboard and there is a stream out back, but washing our clothes would be a chore that consumed way too much time and would really not be practical. On this one it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do to be stuck in the past.

I was with family members last night and the young guys will always ask questions about the "old days". And us old dudes will always be happy to tell them about the cars we had, and the girls we knew, just like old dudes like to do. The problem is this. Those old cars are gone now and those red heads are all gray or dying their hair from a bottle. We can't bring back the old days. I am not even sure I could drive a stick shift screaming hot rod Ford anymore with these worn out knees. 

People can get stuck in the past. "The Good Old Days". They get stuck like a two wheel drive car in a major snow storm or a muddy road. They get into a rut and can't get out. They forget to live in the present. People who are stuck in the past, miss so much of the present by complaining about the here and now. A rose is still beautiful now and the one you saved from prom 1967 is crushed and looks old and it especially smells old. The ones decorating our table today look great and smell fantastic. Those stuck in the past complain about the day they are living in at the moment and they can't get beyond the complaints to take part in what the today, the present has in store for them.

I had someone ask me "don't you wish  television would have shows that were like the ones we had as kids?" I replied "No". The look on their face was hilarious to me. I explained that I did wish that television had more family type content and that some of the shows were too explicit for my taste. But when I was a kid watching "Leave it to Beaver" it was in black and white. I prefer digital color now.

We can sit and complain about the world or we can go out, get out of the past, beyond the hurt, or pain and enjoy the day we have. God has something to say about this subject.

Philippians 2:14-16New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁴ Do all things without complaining and disputing, ¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

 

Ecclesiastes 7:10New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰ Do not say,
“Why were the former days better than these?”
For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

Still washing clothes on a rock, afraid to move into the future? Unwilling to love again because the last time was so great it can't be good this time. Can't forgive? These days can be better than yesterday. yesterday is a memory, Don't miss today. Move on and enjoy what today has to offer. There is a whole lot of love and beauty to experience if you can just look beyond the pressed flowers in a book.

Love you all.

Marty