There is an understandable curiosity about one’s past. In spite of the obvious – namely, that we were there – the recollection is clouded by forgetfulness, time and occasionally a particle of deceit. Indeed it is not uncommon to read about – or hear someone else relate – a past incident and be surprised by the details, as though the account were not only forgotten but also not even now imaginable.  Sometimes there is a complete wonder at having experienced the account at all. On occasion we’re lucky enough to discover we behaved as formidably as we reportedly did; or, that we undertook the event at all.

Reliving the past thereby ends being a combination of putative fact and fiction. Our uncertainty of what happened and our failure to recall what are manifestly important details create an overall shaky image of the whole. As a result the enterprise – that is, the business of reliving the past or recalling its details – ends being little more than a painting, a depiction, representation or portrayal.

The investigation of the past includes the distillation of one’s collection of photographs. By these and similar gradual measures of activity – reflecting and reminiscing upon the past or poring through catalogues of photographs – one learns to remove oneself from the past. Childhood hobbies, teenage fraternities, educational pursuits – they all relate now little more than a faint smile or even a grimace. Once again our livelihood awakens to the present. Recovery from abstinence of the past is not renunciation or abjuration of the past; rather a relocation of the projection from immediate perspective to one upon the distant and vague horizon.

Devoting oneself instead to the present may at first appear to be less colourful or nutritious than absorption in the past.  But the variegation of the present requires a key element already distinguished in the past; that is, contribution.  We have to add our personal ingredients to the story. The other notable feature of time already enhances the past and the present. Paradoxically the embroidery of the present may rightfully include not only an exposition of one’s numerous talents or capabilities but also the tranquil distillation of one’s view of the present. Summarizing the present is a critical psychological move which enforces observation while creating yet another image of one’s entirety. As you might expect an examination of the present invariably strengthens the texture of life. It is a reminder of what we may otherwise overlook or discredit by some other form of thought. The adage that it’s not only what you’re looking at but how you’re looking at it, is not without its plausibility and merit. The process slows the passage of time while sparing oneself the indignity of forever looking behind.

Then arises the possibility of the future.  The future is not unlike the past in that both are fictions. The only reality of any consequence is the present.  Say what you will about either the past or the future, neither is sustainable as a meaningful authenticity.  Culture and prospects aside, everything depends upon the present. We may nonetheless persist in our absorption of both the past and the future to accommodate or insulate ourselves (sometimes for historical, political, social or other similar reasons); but apart from that mystery and fantasy, we’re stuck with what is at hand. Getting there is a “one step at a time” venture. Dedication to what is before our eyes, watching where we are going, the images that flash through our mind’s eye, the current hopes and relationships we have – these all afford ample capital for rumination. Make no mistake, life is an adventure, an unparalleled universe we discover only by living in the moment unadulterated by the past or the future.

I’ll take the charge—guilty as painted.
That bridge had to look like it meant something, not just hang there politely.

And for what it’s worth, you aimed the brief exactly right: danger and delight is the only honest way to draw ambition. Everything else is either brochure copy or obituary.

Good to see you enjoying it, Bill.