These are the best days.

“Tomorrow and yesterday always seem to be better than today until today becomes yesterday and tomorrow becomes today.”

I said this in conversation tonight with a good friend. We were discussing the glorified status of memories compared to their actual realities. For the most part, it is really true. We pontificate over the past to the point that memories become myths and our past is inflated to the point that our present can never compare. The good times we have are enjoyed the best after the fact.

The inflation is not reserved for positive memories. Molehills become Himalayan in size, and the trials and tribulations that we have been able to defeat become epic in our minds. Perception rarely accurately mirrors reality, but it is not a stretch to say that perception is closer to reality than memory.

Perhaps even more dangerous than inflated perception of the past is a heavy reliance on the future. The future is looked upon as a major crutch or even as a superpill. All of today’s problems can seemingly be erased by the simple phrase “It will all be better tomorrow.” I’m sorry, but not all the time will things be better all by themselves. Improvement takes action. I didn’t drop the weight I did by laying on the sofa with a bag of Cheetos on my gut. It is pretty well known by now that I had great success in the summer of 2008 in losing a lot of weight in a short amount of time. What is less known is that I tried to do the same thing in the summer of 2007 and failed. I wanted the results and I held to this all inclusive mythical power of “tomorrow”, but I did not take the right steps to improve myself. As long as we are living, we will have the future as a potential resource. It is our responsibility to use it when it becomes the present and not just talk about plans.

So why do we look so unfavorably on today? It is our most valuable resource. The past is an exhausted resource and the future is an unguaranteed resource. Improvement may not come right away, but proper utilization of today leads to positive tomorrows and rightfully positive memories of yesterday. Until we die, the present is something that can never be taken away from us. We can lose things, people, feelings….even our physical and mental capacity. But until our heart caves in, we cannot lose today. So why loathe something that is ours to use? Live, and love to live.

So don't wait for someone to tell you it's too late
'Cause these are the best days
There's always something tomorrow
So I say let's make the best of tonight
Here comes the rest of our lives
-Graham Colton, “Best Days”