Experience

Once upon a time, there was a veteran fisherman who had no luck out at sea for many, many, many days. Santiago then hooked a massive marlin, which – after a lengthy struggle – he managed to catch and lash to his boat.

When sharks started to eat the fish, “you should have brought many things, [the man] thought. But you did not bring them, old man. Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.”*

In our daily life, we carry many things: some are physical objects, others are intangible – such as emotions or thoughts. And as our days turn into years, we accumulate a wealth of both categories of items.

Each day, we can choose what to bring to the forefront of our human experience. As Hemingway’s character, we always have the opportunity to think of what we have before we mourn what no longer is.

* Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.