Balance

Yesterday, while walking the dog, I noticed some early signs of spring. A few daffodils were out, there were catkins on the hazel, and the buds were swelling on the willow, whilst in our garden the snowdrops were beginning to show their white heads.

I'm not the sort of person who enjoys winter, especially this period after Christmas, when I start to tire of the dark nights. People tell me that I should enjoy every season for what it is but, try as I may, I just can't get enthusiastic for this time of year, so promises of good things to come are important to me.

Often I hear phrases such as 'live for the moment,' and 'enjoy the now,' and in some ways I agree with those sentiments - 'now' is the only time we have. We can't change the past and we can never be sure what will happen in the future but we can set out to experience the 'now' to the full .

My work includes some teaching of disaffected young people in the inner city. Just after the holidays I tried to engage them in conversation about their Christmas. Surprisingly none of them could remember what they had done. I know from previous conversations that none of them had any thoughts about their future, and here they were not even remembering the past! It seemed that the only thing that mattered to them was what they were doing there and then.

This got me thinking that there is a danger in living just for the ‘now’ – doing so denies both the experience of the past and hope for the future. My problem, however, is my tendency to live in the past, to look upon the good things that have happened to me and think that things will never be as good again. Some other people I know spend all their time thinking about the future, hoping that will be better than what they have now.

Perhaps what I really need in my life is balance – an enjoyment of what I am experiencing now, balanced with thankfulness for all that I have experienced in the past and hope for the future. Just as a balanced diet is good for the wellbeing of my body, so a balanced outlook on life is good for the wellbeing of my mind.

So, in walking the dog it is right to get excited about the promises of spring and the warmer days ahead - but that should not distract from the beauty of what is there now nor the memory of springs past.

Dave