While sifting through some Rubbermaid totes (which, after 20 some odd years STILL have the same synthetic smell … that can’t be good) I ran across this old picture of me and my blushing bride:
Granted, I say ‘old’ in the sense that we are more than ten years removed from it. It was taken with a film camera so, there you have it: “old”. But there we were – pre-marriage. Pre-children. Pre-career. Two kids hanging out on a couch in a room that neither of us remembers (if this is your place, let us know – it’s driving us nuts).
I’m a bit of a nostalgic guy as most people close to me know. I make playlists on my iPod and computer based on years (2012 was a musical low point) and even write down memories attached to each song in fear of the day that I lose those recollections. I don’t live in the past, per se, but what is the point of living if not reflecting on the life you’ve lived? To say that in a way that maybe makes sense – what’s the point of putting together a puzzle and not stepping back to look at it?
I looked at this picture for a minute or two and just kept thinking to myself “if we could only see us now”. We had no clue that we would have two boys, that we would spend a few years in South Carolina, own multiple businesses, write a book (“The Age of Eisenberg” – available now in the Amazon store!) or that we were about to embark on a new life in Alaska in 2018. We also did not know that our cat would still be alive. He’s still hanging in there.
Life gives you nothing but the unexpected and so we look forward to this new chapter in our lives. We aren’t worried about what may be or what will happen because, why worry about what you don’t know? I’ve had several people ask me “how long do you plan on living in Alaska?” and my response is always the same: “I plan on being there the first week of August.” That’s not some cynical response meaning that we’re going to run away after the first day. It’s a simple fact that planning for the future, in many ways, is an effort in futility. We could be in Alaska for the rest of our lives. Who knows. We’ll take what life gives us and roll with it, the same way we did when we moved to Delaware, Ohio. Or when we moved to the Charlotte area.
We didn’t know anything about us back in 2004 (I’m assuming the date as much as I am the location on this one. Seriously, does anybody know where this picture was taken?) Just like we don’t know anything about us now. And that’s awesome! Living life is the adventure! Author Greg Anderson wrote: “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” And so, when I look at this old photo, I am reflecting on the journey, still working towards that destination.
Bellamy Travels 