Now.

I don’t have the beaches of Kauai, but I have the hills of Pennsylvania. I don’t have a quaint, historic village in England, but I have the small town of Mechanicsburg. I don’t have the life of an “important” person who travels and speaks and is invited places to receive compensation for the great things they have to offer, but I am important. 

My life’s value consists of more than mere productive output and top 40 charts and social media followers.

 I get to take walks with the best dog in the world. I get to pray for the Earth as I tread gently on her skin and admire her miraculous growth in every season. I get to have the space and time for interacting with God in all the ways God wants to reveal God’s self. I get to distance myself from the nauseating neurosis of achievement and self-effort that is so prevalent in society. I get to go deeper into the things that really matter because I’m not caught up in the whirlwind of self-promotion.

I am not where I thought I’d be, but I’m somewhere. And somewhere is where God is.

I thought I’d have accomplished more. Produced more. Become more well-known. Experienced more. But I think every human thinks this. Our metrics are stupid. 

I don’t want to miss what’s now,

But when I close my eyes and dream,

I dream of finer things.

I want to mine the depths of the present moment,

But my feet are ready to step into the future.

I live here.

I like here.

I still want there.

I regret all I haven’t done,

And I crave redemption.

My hope extends into the past

And into the future.

The starting point is

Here and now.