"YOUR PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE" in "WRITER@WORK: Stories From A Lone, Urban Girl"

Sometimes what we have is now and let’s be grateful for that. Enjoy the moment while it lasts. We may never get the same chance again.

If you’re mostly happy, perhaps this is how you treat your past, present, and future. For your past, you tend to look back, trying to hold on to good memories – in hopes they’ll also last forever.

You’re enjoying everything you have for now. Good for you. Just don’t forget to prepare and save something for your backup plan in the future. You never know. Many have made the same mistakes in not doing so.

You still have high hopes for the future, which is also good. Still, this is the world where anything goes.

What if you’re mostly…sad? You look back and regret a lot of things. You wish you hadn’t wasted your time/energy/money/feelings/whatever on the wrong people and things. If only you had done what you should have…

Tough luck. No time machine for all that.

What do you feel sad about your current situation? Are you sure there’s nothing to be glad about, not even a little?

So you worry too much about the future. What can you do? Have you done enough for today?
Of course, in order to be realistic and human, you cannot embrace one without the other. I never really believe in those who claim to be always happy or in complete misery. Sounds cruel and judgmental? Let me finish.

Those who seem always happy may hide their sadness within. It’s not always because they want to lie to the whole world, pretending they’re always okay. Sometimes, they just refuse to let sorrow ruin their entire lives, no matter what.

You may need to watch out for those who seem sad all the time. I’m not saying all of them are pathetic or unable to cope with trials of life. Perhaps they really need help at the moment – and those who are happier are much too cold and oblivious to offer even a genuine, listening ear.

Sometimes, they might also be starving for attention. This is unhealthy, since it’s obviously imbalanced. They think the whole world owes them something. They consistently demand empathy from others, but don’t expect them to do the same thing in return. If that happens, don’t take that to heart. You’re not the problem.

Then again, it’s just me. I could be wrong. I could also be a combination of some of the things above. After all, I’m only human too.

So how do you treat your past, present, and future?

R.