The Good Old Days

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Yesterday afternoon, I watched the finale for the show The Office.

My family and I have watched that show from the beginning and quickly grew to love the characters.  The cast was superbly talented and the writing was absolutely brilliant.

The finale was perfection. Every loose end was tied up. There was abundant laughter, poignant moments, and definitely tears. (Including my own).

Near the end of the episode, there was one line spoken by Ed Helms (who played the hapless Andy Bernard) that really pierced my heart.

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

That line was spoken by a fictional character who had realized too late that the unappreciated days gone by had actually been a wonderful and glorious gift.

Yet, how many of us can relate? I certainly can.

I am currently reading a book entitled Until I Say Goodbye: My Year Of Living With Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel. The author has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and rather than wallow in self-pity and wait to die, she decided to fully live whatever life she has left.

As I read her story, particularly the honest accounts of living in a body that no longer works, I am reminded anew of the simple beauty of ordinary days.

Stop what you are doing and look around you.

The good old days are now.

You might say, “But my life isn’t perfect. I have too many problems.”

Welcome to life on planet Earth. Life here will never be perfect. The truth is that when we tend to reminisce about “the good old days”, we conveniently forget that things were not perfect. We only remember the good.

Yes, there are heartaches. Trials. Annoyances. Irritations. Setbacks. Disappointments.

But there is also beauty. Laughter. Music. Color. Sunsets. Oceans. Forests. Birds singing. Birthdays. Lovemaking. Flowers. Pets. Spring rains.

Love.

So today choose to focus on the good in your life. Look for the blessings. Let loose and laugh. Search for joy in unexpected places.

Stop waiting for  things to be perfect to begin enjoying your life. It will never happen.

You are living the good old days.

Don’t let them pass you by.