Good ol' days

Noticing the moments I'll miss later, while I'm still in them​

Read time: 5 mins

Hi Reader,

Are we missing the good old days?

The strange way we glorify the past and obsess over the future, but miss the chance to appreciate the moment we’re in.

One day, I’ll look back on this stage with more fondness than I want to admit right now. These might be the actual good old days.

But we’re wired to chase what’s next or mourn what’s gone, rarely stopping long enough to see what’s here, right now.

Most of us are pretty bad at recognizing good times while we're in them. Me too

From the experts

I'm guilty.

I reminisce about simpler days. When life felt easier, and my career was a blank canvas.

Google Photos does an annoyingly good job of reminding me of simpler times, particularly with my wife.

We lived in a tiny flat, just the two of us. We’d go for hikes and take photos for hours. Jobs that, whilst never perfect, allowed us to build the foundations for where we are today. But we had more energy. More time. And so many ideas.

Or I look forward, especially to a small break we're taking this summer. To the illusion of a perfect future, where everything falls into place.

The one where everything finally falls perfectly into place. I’ve cleared through my to-do list, fixed all of my problems, and have a clear mind to be present and even afford the real modern-day luxury of being bored.

But this is all wrong.

This phase of life will likely become another one I romanticise later. Our flat, which has some issues, will become "the charming place we had where retired people played dominoes at the bar terrace downstairs."

This self-employment phase that sometimes stresses me out will transform into a place "where I could have invoiced more but would have gone to the park with the boy less."

All the big challenges I face today will become the war stories I tell tomorrow.

We're always convinced the grass was greener, or will be.

Never noticing that it’s pretty green right here, right now.

My present circumstances, however imperfect they might be, have a lot of elements that “future me” will desperately miss.

So, I've been trying to treat these like the good old days.

To try and appreciate specific moments, no matter how imperfect they are, knowing that one day I'll look back and realise it was a lot better than I thought.

The good old days aren't behind us. They're not ahead of us.

They're right now.

We just have to notice.

Escape the algorithm

Good ol' days moment: Launch of my first photo expo. I could think about how the daily 30 degree heat has curved the photos in some weird way, how our boy spent the inaugural night screaming, or the costs.

Or I could think about how people climbed five floors of stairs to visit. How an event can be a success, even on a Friday in July. The compliments I received were. How encouraging it was to see other creators do their thing. How rewarding it felt when someone bought a copy.

VIDEO: The grindification of hobbies. 3 minutes. A short video in appreciation of doing hobbies for the joy of doing them, not for the pressure of constant improvement, and even less, likes and follows. The act of documenting the hobby becomes more important than the act of enjoying the hobby.

"We're treating our free time like it's another job we're not getting paid for."

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POST: I recently turned 37. Old enough to give advice when asked, young enough to ignore my own. Here's a listed ramble. Numbers 35 and 36 seemed to resonate with readers. This newsletters topic is on the list at number 16.

AI PROMPT: VFX with Veo 3. Incredible ad quality visuals with a well-structured prompt. Click on the image to see the original post and prompt. It's quite simple to reengineer the prompt to your desired outcome.

Here's my attempt, with a cheaper model Kling, but just daydreaming about an easier expo setup:

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Whatever is going on in your world right now, I hope my little ramble helps as a reminder to stay present when possible.

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See you soon.

​Peace,

Has

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