Past / Present / Future
I've been reading Donna's latest book, The Unexpected Journey of Caring. She touches on how dealing with life and death level responsibilities forces us to live in the present, but in a way that's very different from the sort of stuff you see on Pinterest about 'being in the moment.'
Before caregiving, we spend a lot of time seeing ourselves as what we've accomplished and what we want to accomplish. The future version of ourself "is the featured protagonist of the pre-caregiver script that receives most of the attention and accolades. In the process, what is left unknown and unexplored is the sacred space of the present, which caregivers can approach like few others. Perhaps for the first time, and perhaps the only time, you can begin to experience the spontaneity and deep intensity of a life that others cannot access because they (unknowingly) are so reliant on a future script as the sole guide for being in the world."
Setting aside our accomplishments and potential and truly seeing ourselves for who we are in this moment can be difficult. It can bring up complex feelings.
The responsibilities of caregiving force us to face reality, breaking us out of the scripts most of us spend our lives living within.
It might not look good on Pinterest, but it's powerful.