Does it seem silly that I should be learning such an obvious lesson?
Perhaps I'm not the only one though, not the only one dreaming of (or worrying about) the future at the expense of the present.
On the one hand, I readily accept the day to day living, especially, when I see where my level of French lies and I think about my final exams at the end of the semester. Yes, I can definitely wait for those. On the other hand, I resist that way of life when I'm missing those at home and look forward to the next time that I see them. Oh how I do not wish to wait for that!
Yet whether I wish to live for tomorrow or in the moment today, it doesn't really matter; in the end, I am living - breathing, thriving, feeling - today. I cannot claim that I will have tomorrow, or the next day, or even the next day, the only thing that I know for sure right now is that I am living.
And it's okay, actually it is good, very good. Because when I am not allowed to focus on tomorrow, in the good times and the bad, I am learning how to be content. I am able to see and appreciate the beautiful aspects of today, like the colorful sunset after a week of rain, or the tiny spotted puppy playing as its owner sits at a café. I can stop to meet with a friend, linger at the dinner table to spend time with my host family, or even just stop, sit, and be quiet. These things escape my attention when I am consumed with thoughts of tomorrow.
I cannot let four months slip by because of my ever present chase for that elusive tomorrow. I cannot let my life slip by with my only thought for that which does not yet exist.
So here I am, in the south of France, learning, growing, and living, both through exciting times and those which are not. One might think that I'm here just learning the language, but actually, I'm learning something much greater than that: I am learning the secret of being content.
The following photos are all taken with my phone as I went about my life from one day to another.
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