Posts
Finding people who can put into words some of my thoughts is always very exciting. This stanza from Ben Rector’s "Peace" does that for me:
I used to worry about the future, but the future never came
Tried livin' in the past, but never did quite feel the same
I used to think that there was a place I would rather be
'Til I got there enough times to realize that you are only ever here
What Ben Rector wrote and sang is true, but also points to some of the paradoxes of life.
“the future never came” because we exist in now – we can’t live in the past or the future, we only exist in the present. BUT the past certainly influences our present. And what we do now shapes our future.
There is progression in life.
This song shows an example of this through the morphing of the chorus:
Starts with
Saying I want peace, it's where I am now
Moves to
That's when I found peace with where I am now
Ends with
So I found peace with who I am now
Deciding what we want is a powerful first step. It allows us to put focus and attention on that thing. It gives us a frame to see through, or something to measure what we are doing and thinking against.
Continuing to put voice to some of my thoughts and feelings, Ben Rector says:
Through the ups and downs, I have figured out
You find peace where you make it
Scenery won't change it
And I wasted so much time, thinkin' I could ever find
Enough of anything
That would bring me peace
Wishing to be somewhere (or someone) else is a part of being human (at least as far as I can tell). BUT similar to time, we “are only ever here” and while we can change that “here” I have found that often I’m most happy and fulfilled when I really invest where I am and in the people around me right now.
Peace comes from within. From shifting focus to things that truly matter. From being okay with who we are and what we have.
As Evan Hansen taught us, “Today is going to be a good day And here's why because today, today at least you're you and that's enough.”
