No Fast Forward

Sometimes I want to press the fast forward button on my life, just to see where I end up. I don't want to race there, I just want to speed ahead so I can see what's there and then rewind back to now. I know it's not the way life works, but curiosity/impatience/control/anticipation gets the best of me now and then.

Still, I know there's a reason why we don't all have a fast forward button. I know there is a reason why we aren't supposed to see what lies ahead. I know we're meant to make decisions based on the information we have. I know we're meant to experience each day as its own special entity, not projecting into the future too far. I know we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves.

When I start to think wishfully about a fast forward button, I try to re-train myself to imagine life as a choose-your-own-adventure story instead. I saw a great quote recently:

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live.”
– Norman Cousins

I want the best life - inside and out. And it's important to remember that every path leads somewhere. There are no dead ends in real life. If you keep going, there are always destinations, new paths, and hidden treasures. There is always a somewhere. And fast forward buttons just don't work with choose-your-own-adventures stories.