When I was a kid, my dad would blast John Mellencamp songs whenever he drove us to school. My sister and I knew all the words to all of my dad’s favorites. One that he would play over and over, one that my whole family now knows by heart, is “Your Life Is Now.”
If you haven’t listened to it, you should, so here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4KUmm0XsLY
Basically, the premise of the song is that we can’t live our lives regretting the past, or anticipating the future, but that our lives are in the moment we are in presently. Our lives are now. It seems like such a simple concept, but it’s so easy to forget. So here’s a reminder—to you, from me. Your life is now. Especially for us college kids, we really need to learn not to forget this feeling. We are going to spend the rest of our lives trying to replicate the ambiance of being in college. The aspect of being surrounded by our peers, by staying up late and dancing the nights away, by the all-nighters; this truly makes up the best years of our lives. We cannot let it slip away.
So, the next time you’re at a party, the next time you have a movie night with your friends, or take a late night trip to McDonald's, take it in. Take a step back to realize the beauty of being young and carefree.
This all being said, “your life is now” can also be interpreted as not having to take life too seriously. According to the law, sure, we’re adults. But most of us don’t have a “real” job yet. I know we spend all four years of college anticipating our careers, but the fact of the matter is that we aren’t there yet. We keep waiting for our futures to come, but in the meantime, we lose sight of our present. As soon as we get to our futures, we’re going to wish we were in our past again.
Longing for the past is something we shouldn’t do, either! We all have our ghosts, our regrets, or maybe our craving to live out our previous years again. Distracting ourselves with painful memories just inhibits us from accepting happiness in our present. Thinking too much about how good things might have been before leads us away from finding peace in our lives now. This is such a human thing to do, but if we keep comparing our present life to the past, we are never going to be happy with where we are.
So, the idea is simple. Try not to worry about the past, or the future, but remember to live your life in the moment. It's so easy to forget, but if you find yourself enjoying the night, your company, or the people around you, take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the present. Your life is now, so take it one moment at a time.
