Best Time of Your Life

Oh to be young and wild...

During the late years of high school and going into college, we often hear, "enjoy this time, they will be the best years of your life." Maybe high school sucks or maybe it was amazing. College could have been a battle or when you finally flowered. For me, college was a wonderful time in my life. I had amazing friends who lived right next door, I got to learn skills I never would have imagined, I could run off to IHOP at 1 in the morning and not get heartburn, and I had several opportunities to take off and explore the world around me like I had never dreamed all in the name of education. 

And sometimes looking forward to this great period of life is helpful, especially for those of us who had awkward years in high school. Sometimes the hope of a better future is what gets us through. As you grow up, however, we start looking forward more than in the present. Maybe we are dreaming of that perfect job, or a fancy wedding day. Maybe it is something as 'simple' as stability or having kids. Either way, we entertain this mindset of "won't it be nice once I'm finally... I'll be so happy then." And it is even more tempting when the present is not the most exciting or ideal time. 

Daniel and I are both in states of limbo. Between struggles at work and a lack of solidity of our professional or personal futures, it is so easy for me to either think negatively or stare straight forward imagining how great "once we..." will be. For example, this week Daniel's iPhone was stolen out of his backpack (among other valuable things). And I started thinking, "won't it be nice when we're at the point where we have enough saved up to replace it right away." But today it hit me: We are living the best time of our life right now. I cannot let the future be the best part of my life because what if it does not turn out how I am imagining it or worse yet, what if it never comes?

Even when things don't go right, at least I'm not alone

So here is my new (still in practice) mindset. We have no idea what our next step is and we feel lost. I may never again have so many practical choices in front of me. Someday I might not be able to point to anywhere in the world and say "there!" And maybe sometimes I get over anxious thinking about when we are married and how nice it will be then to see each other every day, etc. But this is the time in my life where I am falling deeper in love with an amazing man and figuring out how we can be together. Tomorrow I plan on loving him more, but so far, right now, this is the most I have ever loved him. Up until today, this is the best time of my life. The past was amazing, yes, and the future, we hope, will be incredible. But neither of those facts keep right now from being the best time of your life, and mostly because right now is what you have. Today may be simple, and maybe the best part of it will just be the chocolate that you sneak when no one is watching. There are two great tricks I have learned from Daniel (although I am not sure that he knew he was teaching me). Either see the amazing in what you are living right now, or find something to do to make today incredible. The fact is, someone would love to have your life right now. Today, no matter what happens, I am loved by an incredible man and that is something I have been wanting for years. 

So let right now be the best time of your life. 

Cheers!