sufficient for the day

 I was remembering the days when I went to work. Yes, that time in my life before I retired from all of that. It has been said do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life. Well, no one ever hired me to give my opinion on anything so I retired as soon as I could. Now I get to do what I love, give my opinion. I do that nearly every day. But I do remember having to go to work and the time between Christmas and New Year's Day. It wasn't exactly a vacation period, but everyone was lacking in motivation so little got done. I'd call it a "no"tivation. We'll start on that next year was the prevalent attitude. 

 I'm not one to make plans more than a day in advance. I do like to have a plan for the day, as I've mentioned before, but next week just seems too far away to think about right now. One day at a time. I was doing that long before I heard anyone giving that advice. All that talk about a journey always begins with the first step and that sort of thing. Yeah, real wisdom there. I suppose if you sit still long enough and meditate that is what you will come up with. A rolling stone gathers no moss is an interesting observation. But even a rolling stone will stop one day, even Mick Jagger! And my dad explained to me what being a big wheel was. It carried the heaviest loads, rolled through everything, dogs like to pee on it, and it was usually in a rut. I have never wanted to be a big wheel. 

 So, with the new year just around the corner I'm not making any plans. I was also told, expect nothing and you won't be disappointed. That has proven to be the absolute truth. I've also found that surprises are fun. Yes, I like a surprise. It's like getting a gift. Gifts aren't as much fun when you know you are going to get one and especially so if you already know what it is. That has been known to be disappointing to some. Sounds childish but even adults get disappointed when they are not "remembered." And isn't that the point of the gift? So, for me the new year is just a date on the calendar. 

 What is amazing to me is looking back at history. Now I was born in 1953. I know, the last century. It's amazing if I look at what happened less than 100 years before I was born. In 1856, just 97 years before I was born, Franklin Pierce was the President! Who the heck is Franklin Pierce? Marines from the USS Decatur were fighting off an Indian attack, Dallas Texas became an incorporated city, 2 clipper ships, yes, the big ships with sails, were lost at sea and Congressman Preston Brooks (Dem) beat Charles Sumner (Rep) with a cane so severely on the Senate floor that it took three years for him to recover. HIs offense was supporting the abolishment of slavery. The Civil war began 95 years before my birth. That was followed by WW1, WW2, and the Korean war which ended seven days after I was born. All of those items were in my history books in grade school. Was any of that planned or expected? Not so much planned, as it happened. I'm certain there were people forecasting each event just like today. 

 I'm not certain I know what all this means. I'm not certain there is a thing I can do about any of that. I do know I can't change the past. The best we can do is learn from the past. That should be the only profit gained. You can't compensate people today for yesterday's injustices. But I'll think about some more tomorrow. Heck next year is soon enough if you think about it. Enjoy the minute. Waste not, want not I always say. 

 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."