While standing in line for one of the various things we stand in line for in prison, I struck up a conversation with a guy who, after 25 years, has become well versed in Buddhism and the accompanying philosophies. As I usually do with guys, I asked about how he saw his place in his future. He simply stated, “I have to make sure today is as good as any other day, before or after.” I was intrigued by this and asked him to expand and he gave me a great one line explanation… “If you keep one foot in the past and one foot in the future, you might wind up pissing on today.”

This little nugget struck me like a ton of bricks. So many people in prison wind up struggling with the histories they can’t erase, their failures or shortcomings. Some of that becomes the anchor to progress and degrades any advancement. On the other hand, some get so wrapped up in a want to outrun themselves, to do more, or become so engrossed in “next” that the future is the only thing they see. It becomes what they will do, the big plan, the future… and they ignore the journey. Experiencing both past and future are key for all of us, but I think it might be good to also just experience today. The victories of putting yesterday to bed and planning for tomorrow exist in this moment. I like his idea. I’ll make today count because all my days, before and after, depend on it.

by Rory Andes

Keep your ear to the world and you hear amazing things…

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