It's time.

Today I heard a song that made me sad. It reminded me of the movie, The Family Man, starring Nicholas Cage (Jack Campbell). It was about a man who gave up an expereince to chase a monetary dream. He eventually achieves this, but then at his peak he starts to wonder what if. The next morning he wakes up to what could have been, the life he chose to throw away, his wife, his family. Eventually, he realizes the fulfillment such a life has to offer. He comes to understand that the life he could have had, though not as fast paced, was capable of fulfilling all his fundamental wants and needs, whereas his actual reality could only complete so much.

I wonder How many of us live in the moment. How many of us enjoy life for what it has to offer? How many of us have passed up experiences because they think it would slow us down. How many of us have been so busy preparing for the future that we forget to live in the now. How many of us have passed up opportunities that we regret. How many of us are too busy thinking about what may come next to appreciate what we have now. Its like that scene in the matrix where the people on the city sidewalk are going so fast they don't notice the lady in red or the two individuals standing still in the middle of the pedestrian rush hour. And the sad thing is...you could probably pick any corner in a major city and live that same scene.

What is your future worth to you? Is it worth your family? Your best friend... Your music collection... Your education... The vacations you've spent with loved ones... What experiences are you willing to give up now so that you might have what you think you might want later. What if later never comes...

Let this serve as a reminder for everyone, including me. The need for things will only leave you wanting more. The best things in life are not bought with money, but with time and patience. An experience is but the moments we allow ourselves to live. As Cages character learned, money doesn't buy you everything. That promotion/the dollar/the next thing we need will always be there, I can't say the same for the prospects we are presented with now. Jack was lucky in that he was given a second chance; I could only wish the same for those of you too busy to notice them the first time.

I don't ever want to regret. I hope I never sell my adventures for what the future might bring me. I hope I always remember to enjoy my nows like they're my last, because they might be. I dont want life to pass me by while I wait for later, or worse live life wondering what could have been. I want to live now.