These days, everyone seems very concerned about our future. The job market is still incredibly shallow as we struggle to come out of a recession.
We’re not sure what’s going to happen in the stock market, the Middle East, or next year’s American Idol.
It’s enough to make a person want to quit, or at the very least go into hibernation.
It seems this season is very concerned with both the past and the future.
As Christmas approaches, little boys and girls everywhere think back over last year’s deeds to try to determine whether they’ve ended up on Santa’s naughty or nice lists.
Businesses, both small and gigantic, struggle to make those last few extra cents. All awaiting the 25th of December, where for at least a 24 hour period, we can still pretend that we have peace on Earth and goodwill toward men.
No sooner is Christmas over than we forget the past and start getting ready for the future.
With New Year’s a mere week away, we start planning ways to forget the past year that we only a few days ago were so nostalgic for.
Like the United Nations, we make resolutions that sound good on paper, but are rarely kept. All of this is done in some vain attempt to convince ourselves the next calendar year will be better than this one.
And for those students graduating in a mere 18 days, the season takes a special toll. It seems ironic that the Saturday @ Sam welcoming prospective students is held so close to December graduation.
Every semester, we both welcome the new and bid farewell to the old. Bright eyed and fresh faced freshman take the campus by storm, while our graduated friends remain just a memory.
But with all these hellos and good-byes to new years and new people, I think we have truly lost sight of what’s important.
Is it possible that we’re looking so far over the horizon and over our shoulders that we’ll miss what’s right in front of us?
Fellow Bearkats, I would like to propose a toast. Here’s to right now. Here’s to this very moment. Forget the past and let the future worry about itself. Honestly, we don’t know where we’re going to be next year. We may have awesome jobs and be paving the bridge to the future, or we may be living under it.
But what we do have is this time, here and now.
So in these last days before we wish good friends goodbye, and say hello to those we haven’t met yet, take the time to enjoy where we’re at.
You’ll have plenty of time later to worry about the past and the future, but you’ll never get this moment again.