I used to travel in my previous career. It was nice. Fly to California, drive the coastline, and enjoy the sunshine. Fly to Minnesota, work until dinnertime, eat in a new restaurant, and stay in a nice hotel. See new places. Meet new people. Drive new cars. This was especially nice when I was single. When I was single I didn’t really miss anyone from back home. I got to see and learn about different parts of the country and about different types of people and enjoy the time without a second thought about what was happening at home.
I am married now with kids. I was recently away from my home and family for a couple of nights, staying at a very nice resort in Vermont. It was a new place with nice food and people. It was not the same as it used to be though. Traveling, that is. I found myself enjoying the time to myself, but not to the extent that I remembered it. I was thinking about my wife and two little ones back home, and wondering what I was missing. Thinking about the little laughter, the bedtime stories, and goodnight hugs and kisses.
Then it occurred to me that there was a better way. You can’t have two things at once. So I needed to choose to be present where I was, or think about being somewhere else. While I can enjoy the precious thoughts I have of those back home, they should not lessen the enjoyment of my time away. I decided to enjoy the moment I was having in Vermont. Enjoy it for what it was and not get caught up in what it was not. It’s a much more pleasant way to be.
It may be more difficult for some than it is for others, but practice makes perfect. Just like anything else you want to be good at. I try to continually practice the power of my will. The will to choose to concentrate on the moment at hand over the moment occurring somewhere else. It is so much more enjoyable. You may miss people and think of them, but smile while you do it and then smile about where you are now. There is no moment more precious than the present.
Enjoy Life.
Coach Randal Suozzo, CPC, ELI-MP
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