Hindsight, now vision and foresight
When I was little, my mom always asked me, “What did you learn from that?” I was looking at her and my mind was blank. What I learned? What do you mean by what I learned? I thought I could jump across the stream and I couldn’t. My new shoes were full of water and my Sunday pants had mud stains. I learned that I couldn’t jump as far as I thought. I think that’s what I learned.
I’d say I learned slowly, because I heard my mom ask me that question more times than I can remember. What I learned? What I learned? I learned that eating cookies before dinner got me in trouble. I learned that lying had serious consequences. I learned that sleeping in class made my teacher angry. I learned that if I didn’t tie my shoelaces, I would trip and fall. I learned that frogs don’t stay in my pockets and I learned that the ground is hard when you fall out of a tree.
My mom was trying to teach me “hindsight.” It’s the old concept of cause and effect backwards. Here’s the “effect”, what “caused” it. At first I was slow; however, I began to realize it. That question he asked became a habit. What I learned? I learned that if I want different results in my life, then I would have to do different things. I was beginning to understand. I was in my 20s and had some scares that reminded me of some of my past “learnings”.
At about that time, a friend asked me, “What’s going on?” I thought nothing was happening. I’m sitting here watching television. I am sleeping until noon. I’m late for work. I just got a speeding ticket. My car ran out of gas. Nothing happens other than all those things. It’s not fair, he thought. “Why do all these things always happen to me?” I was not paying attention to what was going on in my life. I dreamed of tomorrow or of that pretty girl I saw at the dance last Friday night. My life was passing me by. It was floating. Being present was far from my conscience.
The first time I realized I was breathing was when I took a yoga class and the instructor said, “Breathe in. Feel the cool air as you breathe in. Breathe out. Feel the hot air coming out.” I thought, “Is hot air coming out? Is cold air coming in? What is he talking about?” Then he said, “Be present. Step into the now. Be aware that what you are doing now is creating your future. Breathe. This is the moment you have been waiting for. Enjoy the happiness and magic of the moment.”
Wow! The world suddenly changed for me. I began to understand what it meant to have “now sight”. The magic happened. I stopped tapping my toe at the foot of the bed. He knew where he was walking. I saw my thoughts bouncing around and slowly, very slowly, I began to focus. At first it was just the “hot in and out” breathing process, and then it expanded to see the speed limit signs. I began to obey the rules of the road. I realized the value of being on time and the power of keeping my commitments to myself and others. He lived in the now. He did not know where he was going, but he was present. Life was good. I liked to breathe. I liked being. I liked to live. The positive things were happening regularly.
However, despite all these wonderful things, I still felt depressed. He wasn’t sure why. I knew something was missing. Then this guy came in and asked, “What are you doing with your life? Where are you going? What do you want to do by the time you’re 65? Who do you want to be?” I saw him. I said, “I wonder what I’m learning all the time and I get great answers. I’ve learned to breathe and be in the now. I can focus on things. I’m fine. I’m great.” “He looked at me and replied,” That’s fine, but where are you going? You need to learn “foresight”.
“Forecast?” I said, “What is that?” He smiled.
Wow! I have circled the sun many times since then. Now I know where I’m going. I keep my eyes on my North Star. No matter what I’m doing, that’s where I’m going. That is my intention. How I get there is my method. I know that my method keeps changing as time goes by, but my intention remains constant. I know it is an internal and external process. I know it is good to have “hindsight” and learn from the past. I still ask, “What did I learn? I know that being present and having ‘now seen’ is where you will find bliss. I am still breathing the cold and exhaling the heat. I can stay focused on the ‘now’ of life. I have also discovered the value of “foresight” by keeping my eyes on the distant future. Now I know that if I want to get there, I have to do the things that keep me on track, and I can ‘not do the things that divert me. Life It expands. My vision expands. I know how to get there, one step at a time.
