I have been
reading a preprint of Cam Taylor’s book, Detour: A Roadmap For When Life Gets Rerouted. The book has much to say
to anyone who has ever faced adversity (and of course, that is all of us.) It
recounts the “detour” his life took following a near-deadly motorcycle
crash. I am part-way through the book
and have already found some gems of encouragement. The following quote is certainly
one of the strongest statements made by Taylor.
reading a preprint of Cam Taylor’s book, Detour: A Roadmap For When Life Gets Rerouted. The book has much to say
to anyone who has ever faced adversity (and of course, that is all of us.) It
recounts the “detour” his life took following a near-deadly motorcycle
crash. I am part-way through the book
and have already found some gems of encouragement. The following quote is certainly
one of the strongest statements made by Taylor.
When the world I knew was interrupted
by the chaos and mess of the crash, it threw me into a tailspin. When the road
ended, my mind avoided the present because it hurt. It was easier to dwell on
the past, which looked so good looking back, or to fixate longingly on the
future, when things would be “normal” again. I learned quickly, however, that
now was the only reality I had. The past was in my memory, and the future was
in my imagination. There is a time and a place to reflect on past memories and
to dream of future possibilities, but that is only possible when our feet are
firmly grounded in now. But I wondered, “How do I get there?” It started when I
separated fact from fiction.(Taylor, 2017, p.
27)
by the chaos and mess of the crash, it threw me into a tailspin. When the road
ended, my mind avoided the present because it hurt. It was easier to dwell on
the past, which looked so good looking back, or to fixate longingly on the
future, when things would be “normal” again. I learned quickly, however, that
now was the only reality I had. The past was in my memory, and the future was
in my imagination. There is a time and a place to reflect on past memories and
to dream of future possibilities, but that is only possible when our feet are
firmly grounded in now. But I wondered, “How do I get there?” It started when I
separated fact from fiction.
27)
It is easy to have a focus on “the past,” “what might have
been,” and the “if-onlys” of life. Have you ever caught yourself feeling like
you had been born too late? Do we not tend to think that former times were “the
good-old-days?” When life throws us a difficult circumstance, our first
reaction is likely to be to fixate on how it might have been avoided. Perhaps
that is even a normal reaction. But the
insight Taylor brings is that, at a certain point, it is unhealthy to “dwell on
the past” or “fixate longingly on the future.” He realized, and I too must realize,
that “now” is the only reality we have. “There is a time and a place to reflect
on past memories and to dream of future possibilities, but this is only
possible when our feet are firmly grounded in now” (emphasis added).
been,” and the “if-onlys” of life. Have you ever caught yourself feeling like
you had been born too late? Do we not tend to think that former times were “the
good-old-days?” When life throws us a difficult circumstance, our first
reaction is likely to be to fixate on how it might have been avoided. Perhaps
that is even a normal reaction. But the
insight Taylor brings is that, at a certain point, it is unhealthy to “dwell on
the past” or “fixate longingly on the future.” He realized, and I too must realize,
that “now” is the only reality we have. “There is a time and a place to reflect
on past memories and to dream of future possibilities, but this is only
possible when our feet are firmly grounded in now” (emphasis added).
I look forward to further insights from the book and will
pass them along to the readers of this blog. Watch Taylor’s blog for the
release of Detour. (http://camtaylor.net)
pass them along to the readers of this blog. Watch Taylor’s blog for the
release of Detour. (http://camtaylor.net)
Works Cited:
Taylor, C. (2017). Detour: A Roadmap For When Life
Gets Rerouted. Abbotsford: InFocus Publishing.
Gets Rerouted. Abbotsford: InFocus Publishing.