The future is here. Whatever you were expecting the future to be, here it is.
It seems to have arrived so soon. Time is such a funny thing. It passes in ways we don’t imagine. Sometimes, when we are sitting still, it passes so slowly, and when we are engaged in a completely absorbing activity, it flies.
C.L. Lewis said, “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”
So, the consciousness of change must be within us. Our life is a piece of the passing of time. So, what we set out to do, or be, may change as we advance through our lives. Now that we are here in the future we dreamed of, perhaps it is time to look at that transformation and how we have adapted to it.
Nearby the Village is a store named Adapt2It. What a good name. We know what to expect when we go inside. There will be products that help us adapt to the physical changes in our bodies.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that store also provided something that helped us adjust mentally and emotionally to the alterations in our lives?
Paris will be the home of the 2024 Summer Olympics, and for the first time, breakdancing will be an Olympic event. Can those of us of a certain age accept this without scoffing?
Yes, the future is here, and it is inviting us to look with new acceptance at what it brings. Many new ideas that seemed outrageous at first are now ordinary. An electric car? A phone you can carry in your pocket? Robotic surgery? All are commonplace, and we have learned to adapt and even to delight in them.
One of the best ways we can be open to change is to be curious, to see all of life as an opportunity for growth. Another is to love the changes of our lives, to be present to every opportunity to learn, and to embrace the newness of what is happening now.
To do this, we may need to become more self-aware. These ideas may help us to see what is possible for us right now and in the future.
We can ignite our curiosity by asking, “What is here now? What can I learn from this situation?” Next, we can explore our creativity. “How can I use this for a better world, for myself and others?” Finally, we can ask ourselves “Am I willing to trust?”
Author Stephen Covey wrote, “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.”
It is also the best quality of life to carry us into the unknown yet-to-be. The future we imagined is the “now” of today. Let’s rejoice and be glad in it.
The Rev. Linda McNamar is a Laguna Woods Village resident.
