Past, Present, Future - Where are your thoughts?

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We all go through cycles where we become skewed temporarily; overwhelmed by something in our past or worrying about something in the future. If we are at a high school reunion or looking through a book of old family photographs our thoughts are probably dominated by the past. If we are checking on our retirement savings or planning a wedding anniversary party for our parents we are thinking of the future.

Normally the present dominates.

Is that true through all of life? That may be counter to the traditional ideas 

  • Of the young being more focused on the future - growing up fast and making a place for themselves in the world.
  • Of the old thinking more about the past because they have more life that is past than ahead. 

Having past the mid-point in my life (assuming I might be lucky enough be healthy at 100) - I have been thinking about how my thoughts have shifted over the years. I enjoy history in the broad sense but tend to enjoy only brief sojourns into my own. It is true that now there are more pictures of my past and more opportunities for reconnecting with people from years past. But I remember enjoying looking at the baby book my mother had created of my early years even before I was 20 years old. Seeking to savor our personal past is not just for people past mid-life.

I’ve always enjoyed planning which is clearly a future oriented activity. Thinking of things that might happen and developing contingency plans…playing with ‘what if’ scenarios…has always been part of the way I set out to accomplish the goals I set for myself. Earlier in my life my planning was oriented to career and young family goals; now my planning is focused on goals for an older family and the next generation (i.e. grandchildren) when and if they arrive. While all along the way I’ve had an overarching desire to leave the world a better place; now I am thinking more about that more frequently as well.

So - what about today? Between the foundation of the past and the potential of the future - the present is always where the action is.

Gleanings of the Week Ending June 16, 2012

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The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week:

Wood ducks - duckling paratrooper video. The ducklings leave the nest high in the tree when they are about 24 hours old.

Body Hacks for a Longer Life - infographic

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #15 - birds…and more birds

A Century of Learning About the Physiological Demands of Antarctica - severe exercise, malnutrition, hypothermia, high altitude, sleep deprivation

There Are Two Kinds of “Busy.” Is Yours the Good Kind? - excerpt from “It Takes an Egg Timer” book

Bamboo, A Beautiful and Versatile Material - It can grow 1.6 feet per hour!!!!

Does This Look Infected? Medical Procedures Then and Now - electroshock therapy, bullet removal, inflammation and the common cold, pain relief

50 Future Ideas You Really Need to Know - from Richard Watson

Top Solar Power Countries - The US is 22nd in terms of total solar power per million people, 31st in total new solar power per million people…..seems like this could result in a challenge to our long term competitiveness in the world

Solar Panel Technology Advancements - infographic

Life History Part VII - The Future

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This is the last of 7 posts with prompts to develop a life history. Previous posts in this series: 

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This last part is about the perception of the future. Most people do have something that they are anticipating. It isn’t ‘history’ but it deserves a place in an individual’s life history. Use the prompts to start the conversation. 

  • Do you plan to retire?
  • What will you do after you retire?
  • How are financially?
  • What is your most significant goal for this year?
  • What is your most significant goal for the next 5 years?
  • What is our most significant goal for the next 10 years?
  • On a scale of 0 to 10 - 0 being roll with the flow and 10 being goal directed...where you are
  • Do you plan to live to 100?
  • What obligations do you have into the future?
  • What is your most active area of learning right now?
  • What 5 things are on your 'must do before I die' list
  • Do you have an 'end of life' plan? Who makes decisions for you if you are not able to
  • What if your vision for what it will be like when you are 90
  • When do you think you will stop driving?
  • Do you want to live in Tucson for the rest of your life?
  • How much traveling do you want to do....where do you want to go?
  • What if the area has extreme water shortages...would you move because of an environment stressor? 

Quote of the Day - 2/9/2012

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Every person is a dam between the past and future. - Yehuda Amichai in Open Closed Open: Poems

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As we get older, the reservoir behind our ‘dam’ may get larger and larger. Contemplate how you keep a healthy focus on the present by tending that dam --- drawing from your reservoir of experience to make the best choices and take the best actions to keep the gurgling stream of your future full of exciting potential.